LI  B  RARY 

OF   THE 
U  N  I  VERSITY 
or    ILLINOIS 

V68S 

1832 
V.2 

cop. 2 


Ill.Hist.Survey 


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SIX      MONTHS 


IN 


AMERICA. 


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SIX       MONTHS 


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AMERICA. 


BY 

GODFREY  T.  VIGNE,  ESQ. 

()  !'■      LINCOLN'S       INN,      B  A  R  R  I  S  T  F.  R      A  T      L  A  \V 


VOL,  ir. 


LONDON: 

W  H  I  T  T  A  K  E  R,    TREACHER,    &    CO. 

AVE    MARIA    LANE. 

1832. 


LOiVDUiN  : 

Mauuiug  and  Co.,  I'linleis,  4j  Luiuluii  Hoiist  Yai'l, 
St.  PhuIs. 


=1  n,3  —    ' 

V(,^3  HiSTC«.\CAL_ 

1 93  a         SO^vJ^ 
cT 

^.         SIX  MONTHS  IN  AMERICA. 


I  NOW  left  Washington  to  proceed  to  Har- 
per's ferry.  The  English  and  American  ideas 
of  the  picturesque  are  widely  different.  The 
Englishman,  who  sees  enough  of  cultivation 
in  his  own  country,  travels  to  other  lands  in 
search  of  wilder  scenery,  and  gazes  with  de- 
light on  the  immense  forests  of  America.  The 
American  would  readily  dispense  \vith  the  ro- 
mantic, and  wonders  that  every  body  is  not  like 
himself,  an  admirer,  by  preference,  of  a  rail- 
road,   a   canal,    or   a  piece    of    newly    cleared 

VOL.  II.  B 


351417 


f*7 


SIX    MONTHS. 


ground.  Excellent  as  these  are  in  their  way,  I 
really  believe  that  the  Americans,  of  the  mid- 
dle and  lower  class,  regard  them  not  merely 
with  reference  to  their  beneficial  effects,  but  as 
the  ne  plus  ultra  of  the  beautiful.  WTien  I 
inquired  which  was  the  prettiest  road  towards 
Harper's  ferry,  "Go  by  such  a  road,"  was  the 
reply;  "it  runs  by  the  side  of  the  canal, 
sir."  However,  it  so  happened  that  the  canal- 
road  lay  also  along  the  bank  of  the  Potomac, 
and  the  scenery  certainly  was  very  pretty.  At 
a  distance  of  two  miles  from  the  road,  and 
thirteen  or  fourteen  from  Washington,  are  the 
Great  Falls  of  the  Potomac.  I  did  not  turn 
out  of  my  way  to  see  them;  I  have  seen  a 
great  many,  and  purposed  visiting  Niagara. 

After  all  I  had  heard,  I  must  say,  that  I 
was  disappointed  with  Harper's  ferry.  The 
Shenandoah  and    Potomac  rivers   unite  at  the 


IN    AMERICA.  3 

foot  of  tlie  Blue  Mountains,  through  which  they 
have  forced,  or  rather  worn  a  passage ;  but  the 
rivers  are  of  the  same  width.  The  mountains, 
composed  of  limestone,  and  schistose  rocks,  are 
of  moderate  and  uniform  elevation,  and  they 
appear  to  be  perfectly  acquiescent,  while  the 
stream  glides  in  silent  triumph  over  its  smooth 
though  rocky  channel,  without  the  least  appear- 
ance of  exasperation. 

I  visited  the  United  States'  arsenal,  con- 
taining 70,000  stand  of  arms.  The  chief  ar- 
mourer was  an  old  Englishman,  who  served  at 
the  battles  of  Alexandria  and  Trafalgar.  I 
observed  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  ramrod 
and  touchhole,  which  was  of  brass,  every  part 
of  the  musket,  lock,  barrel,  and  bayonet,  was 
browned.  They  were  not  ranged  in  order,  as 
in  other  arsenals,  but  were  kept  in  boxes,  so 
that  there  was  no  display  whatever.     From  the 

B  2 


SIX    MONTHS 


arsenal  I  proceeded  to  Captain  Hall's  manufac- 
tory of  patent  rifles.  With  one  of  these,  after 
a  little  practice,  a  man  may  load  and  fire  eight 
or  nine  times  in  a  minute.  The  arrangement 
is  very  simple.  The  barrel  appears  to  have 
been  divided  from  the  breech  with  a  fine  saw. 
The  breech  is  raised  by  means  of  a  hinge  and 
a  spring,  which  is  struck  by  the  hand,  and  when 
loaded  is  immediately  shut  down,  so  as  to  form 
part  of  the  barrel,  similar  to  that  of  a  screw 
pistol.  The  great  advantage  gained  by  the  in- 
vention of  this  rifle  is,  that  with  it  a  soldier 
can  load,  and  defend  himself  with  his  bayonet 
at  the  same  time. 

There  are  also  some  large  saw  mills  here 
well  worth  the  attention  of  the  traveller. 

I  proceeded  up  the  well-cultivated  valley  of 
the  Shenandoah,  and  arrived  at  Winchester,  a 
neat  and  considerable  town;  thence   to  a  good 


IN    AMERICA.  .) 


inn  in  the  middle  of  the  forest.  In  my  way 
I  crossed  the  sandy  ridge  and  the  Capon  Moun- 
tains, though  they  hardly  deserve  such  a  name, 
being,  to  all  appearance,  scarcely  higher  than 
the  Wrekin  in  Shropshire.  I  breakfasted  at 
Romney,  a  pretty  village  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  Potomac.  A  little  farther  on,  the  road  is 
frowaied  upon  by  an  overhanging  rock  of  bastard 
lime-stone :  its  appearance  is  very  singular.  The 
strata  are  disposed  in  arches  one  within  the 
other,  so  that,  with  the  aid  of  fancy,  its  surface 
may  be  thought  to  resemble  the  solid  frame- 
work of  a  stupendous  bridge.  The  highest 
arch,  to  which  the  others  are  parallel,  is  nearly 
semi-circular  with  a  radius  of  270  feet. 

When  the  mail,  in  which  I  was  travelling, 
arrived  at  the  north  l^ranch  of  the  Potomac, 
we  found  it  so  swollen  by  the  late  rains  that  a 
passage  seemed  not  only  dangerous  but  imprac- 


b  SIX    MONTHS 

ticable.  The  coacliman,  however,  a  cool  and 
determined  fellow,  crossed  over  on  horseback; 
he  then  returned,  placed  one  of  the  passengers 
on  the  near  leader,  and  resolutely  drove  his 
four  horses  into  the  torrent,  which  was  sixty 
or  seventy  yards  in  width,  running  like  a  mill- 
race,  and  so  deep  that  it  reached  nearly  up  to 
the  backs  of  the  horses.  I  was  with  him  on  the 
box.  The  inside  passengers  pulled  off  their 
coats,  and  prepared  to  swim.  The  water  forced 
itself  into  the  coach;  but  we  reached  the  oppo- 
site bank  without  disaster.  On  the  preceding 
evening  the  coachman  had  only  prevented  the 
mail  from  being  entirely  carried  away,  by  turn- 
ing the  horses'  heads  down  the  stream,  so  that 
the  coach  and  horses  were  swimming  for  nearly 
thirty  yards.  I  think  the  American  coachmen, 
in  general,  are  good  drivers  :  the  horses  are  well 
adapted  to  their  work,  and  in  fine  condition :  in 


IN    AMERICA.  7 

summer  they  are  allowed  any  quantity  of  oats 
they  can  eat,  and  in  winter  a  little  Indian  corn  is 
mixed  with  them.  It  is  too  heating  to  be  much 
used  in  the  stable  during  the  summer  months ; 
one  feed  of  Indian  corn  is  supposed  to  contain  as 
much  nourishment  as  two  of  oats.  The  coaches 
stop  every  five  or  six  miles,  and  the  horses  drink 
at  least  half  a  pail  of  water ;  they  could  not 
work  without  it  on  a  hot  day.  The  roads  in 
the  country  would  puzzle  the  most  experienced 
English  coachman;  they  are  often  execrably 
bad, — and  require  making,  not  mending, — with 
the  roots  of  trees  sticking  up  in  the  middle 
of  the  road.  The  expense  of  finishing  good 
roads  through  the  forest  would  be  enormous, 
far  too  great  to  be  borne  at  present;  but 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  large  towns  I  have 
sometimes  seen  them  in  a  state  of  inexcusable 
neglect. 


8  SIX    MONTHS 

Cumberland  is  delightfully  situated  in  the 
valley  of  the  Potomac,  surrounded  by  lofty  hills, 
out-topped  by  the  distant  Alleghany,  which 
had  appeared  in  sight  towards  the  close  of  the 
day. 

Virginia  is  famous  for  its  breed  of  horses. 
Till  I  passed  through  that  state  I  had  not  seen 
a  horse  with  at  all  the  shape  and  figure  of  an 
English  hunter;  but  in  Virginia  I  have  seen 
horses  on  the  road,  and  brood  mares  in  the  pas- 
tures, displaying  a  great  deal  of  blood  and 
symmetry.  In  all  parts  of  the  Union  which  I 
visited,  a  well-bred  horse  is  termed  a  "  blooded 
horse  :"  but  the  Americans  are  quite  at  liberty  to 
use  what  terms  they  please.  Besides  the  paces 
usually  know^n  in  England,  the  horse  in  the 
United  States  is  valuable  according  to  his  per- 
formances as  a  square  or  natural  trotter,  a 
pacer,  or  a  racker.     A  racker  is  a  beast    that 


IN    AMERICA. 


can  trot  before,  and  canter  behind,  at  the  same 
time.     The    recommendations    of  a   pacer   are, 
that  he  moves  his  fore  and  hind  legs    on   the 
same    side    at    the    same   time,    like    a    came- 
leopard.     When  hiring  a  hack,  you  are  ques- 
tioned   as    to    which    you    would    prefer.      As 
there  is  no  fox-hunting,  a  fast  trotter  is  con- 
sidered the   most  valuable  animal  next  to  the 
racer.     A    horse   that  can    trot  a   mile  in   two 
minutes  and  a  half,  is   not  thought  very  extra- 
ordinary. 

At  Cumberland  I  joined  the  high  road  or 
"  turnpike,"  between  Baltimore  and  Pittsburgh, 
and  soon  afterwards  I  began  the  ascent  of  the 
Alleghany  for  the  second  time.  The  road  passes 
over  Keyser's  ridge,  one  of  the  highest  parts  of 
the  mountain,  rising  to  a  height  of  2800  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  western  rivers.  The 
mountain  presented  the  same  distant  and  inter- 


10  SIX    MONTHS 

minable  forest  view  that  I  beheld  when  I  passed 
over  it  in  Pennsylvania ;  but  in  that  state,  there 
were  more  patches  of  cultivated  land  to  be  seen 
here  and  there  in  the  vicinity  of  the  high  road. 
Silence  and  tranquillity  to  a  degree  I  never 
before  witnessed,  are,  I  think,  the  prevailing 
characteristics  of  the  American  forests,  where 
the  Indian  is  no  longer  an  inhabitant.  They  are 
dark,  but  never  gloomy,  excepting  where  they 
are  composed  of  pine  trees  :  they  are  solitary, 
and  are  silent  as  the  grave,  without  inspiring 
horror.  They  are  curious  and  interesting  to  the 
European  traveller.  In  Europe  the  eye  is  fre- 
quently attracted  by  the  ancient  relics  of  feudal 
grandeur,  or  the  formidable  structures  of  modern, 
and  more  ci^dlized  warfare.  But  the  wild  scenery 
of  America  is  dependent  for  its  interest  on 
nature,  and  nature  only ;  the  mountain  pass  is 
without  banditti,  the  forest  is  without  fastness, 


IN    AMERICA.  11 

and  the  glens  and  glades  are  quiet  and  legend- 
less.  I  was  never  tired  of  the  forest  scenery, 
although  I  passed  through  it  day  after  day. 
The  endless  diversity  of  foliage  always  prevents 
it  from  being  monotonous.  Sycamores  and  tulip 
trees  of  most  gigantic  dimensions,  are  to  be  seen 
on  the  banks  of  the  smaller  rivers,  or  creeks,  as 
they  are  termed  in  the  United  States.  With  the 
more  stately  trees  of  the  forest  are  mingled  the 
sassafras,  the  gum-tree,  the  hickory,  and  many 
others  that  are  new  to  the  European  eye.  But 
the  most  beautiful  sight  is  afforded  by  the  wild 
vine  that  entwines  itself  round  the  acacia,  and 
covers  every  branch  of  it  with  a  green  tile-work, 
extended  in  festoons  to  the  nearest  trees;  like 
those  which  are  to  be  seen  in  the  vineyards  of 
Italy. 

Soon   after   passing   the    Alleghany,    I  was 
shown  the  remains  of  an  old  entrenchment  in  a 


1 


12  SIX    MONTHS 

meadow  on  the  left  of  the  road :  it  was  formed 
by  Washington,  then  a  Colonel  in  the  Britisl 
service,  when  pursued  by  the  Indians  after  the 
defeat  of  General  Braddock.  A  little  further 
on,  on  the  right  hand,  on  the  bank  of  a  small 
stream,  I  saw  the  spot  where  the  General  was 
buried  on  the  9th  of  July,  1755;  having  neg- 
lected the  precautions  recommended  by  Colonel 
Washington,  who  offered  to  scour  the  forest 
alongside  his  line  of  march  with  the  provincial 
troops;  he  was  attacked  by  the  Indians  in  a 
defile  on  the  banks  of  the  Monongahela,  when 
within  about  ten  miles  of  Fort  du  Quesne,  at 
Pittsburgh,  then  occupied  by  the  French,  and 
which  he  was  marching  to  besiege :  his  bravery 
was  of  little  use ;  all  the  officers  about  his  person 
were  killed,  he  had  five  horses  shot  under  him, 
and  at  last  he  himself  received  a  mortal  wound. 
He  was  conveyed  away  by  his  retreating  soldiers ; 


IN    AMERICA.  13 

but  soon  afterwards  died,  and  was  buried  in  the 
middle  of  the  road,  and  the  wagons  and  horses 
were  allowed  to  pass  over  his  grave,  in  order  to 
conceal   the   spot   from   tlie   pursuing    Indians. 
With   his    dying    breath   he    acknowledged   to 
Colonel  Washington  the  error  he  had  committed 
in  not  following  his  advice.     He  presented  him 
with  his  horse,  and  gave  his  parting  injunction 
to  an  old  and  faithful  attendant  to  enter  into  the 
service  of  Colonel  Washington,  and  remain  with 
him  till  the  day  of  his  death.     Fort  Du  Quesne 
was  afterwards  taken  by   General  Forbes,  and 
the  name  was  changed  to  Fort  Pitt,  in  compli- 
ment to  the   British   minister.     The    magazine 
and  part  of  the  wall,  are  all  that  remain  of  it  at 
present,  and  are   to   be   seen  near  the  point  of 
confluence  of  the  rivers  at  Pittsburgh. 

At   Washington  town,    I   attended  a  black 
Methodist  meeting ;    they    are   to  be   found  in 


14 


SIX    MONTHS 


every   considerable   town    in   the    Union,   but  I 
had  never  seen  one  before.     The  preacher  was 
a  half-cast,  or  quarteroon,  as   the  negroes  call 
them,    and   he   and   his   congregation  were  all 
ranters  ;  he  talked  the  most  incoherent  nonsense, 
and  worked  himself  up  to  such  a  pitch  of  frenzy, 
that  his  appearance  was  almost  that  of  a  maniac. 
At  intervals  I  was  nearly  stunned  by  the  noise 
he  made;  and  I  could  not  help  thinking  of  the 
speech  of  the  frogs  in  the  fable,  who  said  to  the 
boy  as  he  pelted  them,  "  It  may  be  very  good 
fun  for  you^  but  we  really  find  it  exceedingly 
disagreeable." 

As  I  approached  Pittsburgh  the  forest  became 
less  extensive,  and  the  country  exhibited  a  more 
general  appearance  of  cultivation,  although  it 
may  be  broadly  asserted  that  the  Americans  are 
at  least  fifty  years  behind  us  in  agriculture;  yet 
there  are   many  gentlemen's   estates  on  which 


IN    AMERICA.  15 

more  than  ordinary  care  and  labour  have  been 
bestowed,  and  which,  consequently,  are  far  in 
advance  of  others.  I  observed  some  good  farm- 
ing adjacent  to  the  road.  Some  part  of  the 
country  1  am  speaking  of,  might  have  been 
mistaken  for  the  more  wooded  parts  of  England, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  worm  or  zigzag  fence 
which  is  in  universal  use  throughout  the  United 
States,  and  offers  but  a  poor  apology  for  the 
English  hedge  row,  although  they  are  sometimes 
composed  of  cedar  logs. 

Pittsburgh  is  built  on  the  confluence  of  the 
Alleghany  and  Monongahela  rivers,  both  of 
them  being  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width, 
whose  united  streams  form  the  Ohio.  They  are 
both  passed  by  a  fine  wooden  bridge. 

The  city  contains  12,000  inhabitants;  but  if 
the  suburbs  ai'e  included  in  the  calculation,  its 
population  will  amount  to  nearly  23,000.      It 


16  SIX    MONTHS 

may  be   called  the  western  capital  of  Pennsyl- 
vania.    It  manufactures  annually  about  18,000 
tons  of  iron,  and  the  same  quantity  of  steel.     It 
has  also  an  extensive  manufactory  of  cotton  and 
glass.     Bituminous  coal  is  found  in  the  greatest 
plenty  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  in  consequence 
of  the  smoke  and  black  dust  from  the  manufac- 
tories,  the   shopkeepers  complain  that  it  is  im- 
possible   to   keep    any  thing    clean.     I  entered 
Pittsburgh  on  the  4th  of  July,  on  which  day,  as 
every  one  knows,  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence   was   signed    at    Philadelphia.      It  is,   of 
course,  always  and  universally  a  day  of  rejoicing 
in  the  United  States.     The  militia  are  called  out, 
a  public  dinner  is  always  given  in  every  town 
and  village  in   the  Union,   and  an  appropriate 
oration  is  delivered  by  the  appointed  orator  of 
the  day.     I  regretted  I  did  not  arrive  in  time  to 
be  present  at  the  dinner,  which  had  taken  place 


IN    AMERICA.  17 

under  the  shade  of  some  trees  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Alleghany,  but  I  lieard  a  great  number 
of  sentiments  delivered,  without   being   drank. 
Any  bystander  wrote  an  idea  upon  a  slip  of  paper 
and  handed  it  to  the  orator,  who  read  it  aloud  to 
the    company.       They   were   all   more    or    less 
patriotic,  but  usually  couched  in  the  most  ridicu- 
lous bombastic  language.      The  cause  of  reform 
in  England,  was  a   frequent  theme  of  eulogy. 
William   the   reformer  was  applauded  as  being 
more    glorious    than  William    the    Conqueror. 
Henry  Brougham  was  coupled  with  Henry  Clay, 
and  a  drunken  Irishman  requested  "  parmission 
to   give   a   woluntary    toast,"    and    lauded    his 
majesty  to  the  skies,   in  terms  which  I  cannot 
pretend  to  recollect. 

On  this  day  died,  at  New  York,  James 
Monroe,  the  fifth  president  of  the  United  States, 
having  twice  held  that  office  from  1817  to  1825. 

VOL.  II.  c 


18  SIX   MONTHS 

His  eulogy  was  spoken  by  Mr.  Adams,  who 
appears  to  be  the  orator-general  upon  such 
occasions,  and  who,  in  the  true  spirit  of  repub- 
licanism, thinks  it  no  degradation  to  take  his  seat 
as  a  member  of  congress  after  having  once  filled 
the  president's  chair.  Mr.  Monroe  was  five 
years  of  age  at  the  date  of  the  Stamp  Act.  At 
an  early  age  he  joined  the  standard  of  Washing- 
ton, when  others  were  deserting  it.  He  was 
present  at  the  celebrated  passage  of  the  Dela- 
ware at  Trenton,  was  wounded  in  the  sub- 
sequent engagement,  and  was  afterwards  present 
in  the  actions  of  Brandymne,  GermantowTi, 
and  Monmouth.  He  took  his  seat  in  the  federal 
congress  in  June  1783,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four.  He  was  at  first  opposed  to  the  adoption 
of  the  articles  of  the  constitution,  believing 
them  to  be  imperfect,  and  of  little  remedial 
efficacy ;  although  he  was  decidedly  in  favour  of 


IN    AMERICA.  19 

some  important  change  in  the  existing  govern- 
ment nnder  the  articles  of  confederation.     Mr. 
Monroe  was  appointed  by  President  Washing- 
ton,  the  minister  plenipotentiary  to  the  court  of 
France,  and  was  received  with  splendid  formality 
by  the  national  convention;  but  being  unsuccess- 
ful  in   his  negociations,    he  was  recalled,    and 
Mr.  Pinkney  appointed  in  his  place.     He  was 
afterwards  appointed  governor  of  Virginia.  When 
Napoleon    had    20,000    veterans    assembled   at 
Helvoet-sluys,  ready  for  embarkation  to  Louis- 
iana.    Mr.  Monroe  was  sent  over  by  President 
Jefferson    on    a   special    commission.       On    his 
arrival,    the    war    between    Great    Britain   and 
France    was    rekindling,     and    the    danger    to 
Louisiana  was   averted.      In   conjunction   with 
Mr.  Pinkney,  the  then  United  States'  minister 
at   Madrid,  he  concluded  the  treaty  by  which 
Louisiana  was   ceded  to  the  LTnited  States,   in 

c  2 


•20  SIX    MONTHS 

the  year  1803.  This  state  was  in  the  possession 
of  the  Spaniards  from  1762  till  1800,  when  it 
was  again  ceded  to  the  French,  the  original 
settlers.  The  United  States  paid  15,000,000 
of  dollars  for  it;  Mr.  Monroe  afterwards  went 
to  England  as  minister  plenipotentiary,  he  was 
present  in  Paris  at  the  coronation  of  Napoleon. 
He  returned  to  the  United  States  in  1807,  and 
became  secretary  of  state  in  1811,  and  after- 
wards secretary  at  war.  In  1817  he  was  elected 
president,  and  was  re-elected  in  1821  without 
opposition.  His  opinion  on  the  subject  of  inter- 
nal improvements,  was,  that  a  power  of  establish- 
ing a  general  system  of  internal  improvement 
had  not  been  delegated  to  congress,  and  he 
returned  a  bill  to  the  house,  in  which  it  origi- 
nated, with  a  justification  of  his  exercise  of 
prerogative,  in  an  able  and  elaborate  exposition 
of  the  reasons  for  the  refusal  of  his  assent.     It 


IN    AMERICA.  21 

is  a  very  singular  fact,  that  Mr.  Monroe  is  the 
third  out  of  four  deceased  presidents,  who  have 
died  on  the  4th  July.  The  circumstances  attend- 
ing- the  deaths  of  Presidents  Jeiferson  and  John 
Adams  were  very  extraordinary.  A  committee 
of  five  was  originally  appointed  to  draw  up 
the  articles  of  the  constitution.  Jefferson  and 
Adams  were  selected  as  a  sub-committee,  and 
were  in  fact  the  real  framers  of  the  constitution. 
These  two  gentlemen  died  on  the  4th  of  July, 
in  the  same  year,  and  the  news  of  their  decease 
arrived  at  exactly  the  same  time  on  the  same 
day,  at  Philadelphia,  where  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  was  signed. 

From  Pittsburgh  I  rode  to  Braddock's  field. 
It  was  pointed  out  to  me  about  three  hundred 
yards  from  the  bank  of  the  Monongahela.  The 
ground  has  been  considerably  cleared  since  the 
action  took  place;  l)ut  it  seems   to   have  been 


22  SIX    MONTHS 

admirably  adapted  to  the  Indian  mode  of  war- 
fare, on  account  of  the  mididating  surface  of  the 
field,  that  enabled  the  Indians,  with  the  aid  of 
the  forest  with  which  it  was  then  covered,  to  lie 
in  ambush,  and  fire  without  being  perceived. 
When,  as  a  child,  I  used  to  read  the  account  of 
this  sanguinary  conflict,  as  narrated  by  the 
highlander  in  the  history  of  "  Sandford  and 
Merton,"  little  did  I  dream  that  I  should  ever 
stand  upon  the  field  of  battle. 

From  Pittsburg,  I  proceeded  for  fifteen  miles 
down  the  western  bank  of  the  Ohio  to  Economy, 
a  German  settlement,  under  the  superintendence 
of  Mr.  Rapp,  conducted  on  a  system  somewhat 
resembling  that  of  Mr.  Owen  of  Lanark.  The 
members  call  themselves  the  "  Brothers ;"  and 
have  a  community  of  property.  Any  person, 
of  any  country,  however  poor,  may  become  a 
member,  by  conforming  to  the  rules,  and  sub- 


IN    AMERICA.  23 

mittiiig  to  learn  one  of  the  trades  or  other 
occupations  which  are  taught  in  the  society. 
If  he  be  weary  of  its  regulations,  he  is  at 
liberty  to  leave  it,  and  takes  mth-  him,  from 
the  public  fund,  all  that  he  brought  into  it : 
his  earnings,  during  his  stay,  becoming  general 
property.  It  is  open  on  the  same  terms,  even 
to  the  entirely  destitute.  The  town  is  regularly 
built,  and  extremely  neat :  there  are  4000  acres 
of  land  belonging  to  the  establishment,  cultivated 
by  the  members,  and  at  the  expense  of  the 
society  ;  they  have  a  good  museum,  an  admirable 
band,  and  public  concerts  twice  in  the  week. 
The  "  Brothers"  are  chiefly  Lutherans,  from 
Wirtenberg,  where  I  understood  they  originally 
attempted  to  form  a  society  of  the  same  kind, 
but  it  became  obnoxious  to  the  government,  and 
was  suppressed.  Mr.  Rapp  himself  is  a  Lu- 
theran clergyman,   and  preaches  the  doctrine  of 


24  SIX    MONTHS 

brotherly  love.  His  first  settlement  was  on  the 
Wabash  river,  several  hundred  miles  to  the 
south ;  but  he  sold  the  place  to  Mr.  Owen, 
whose  philanthropic  exertions  were,  as  usual, 
unattended  with  success.  Mr.  Rapp  occasion- 
ally goes  to  Philadelphia,  in  search  of  recruits 
amongst  the  latest  importations  from  Germany; 
and  it  will  be  readily  believed,  that  he  enlists 
none  but  his  own  countrymen  to  undergo  this 
voluntary  confinement,  and  second  schooling. 
It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  mention,  that  marriage 
and  a  continuance  in  the  society,  are  incom- 
patible. It  is  said,  that  Mr.  Rapp's  system  has 
been  sufficiently  successful  to  cheat  him  into  the 
idea,  that  his  calling,  if  not  of  the  prophetic,  is, 
at  least,  of  the  patriarchal  order. 

At  Economy,  I  joined  the  passing  steam- 
boat for  Maysville.  For  about  a  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  of  its  course,  the  average  width  of  the 


IN    AMERICA.  23 

Ohio  is  not  greater  than  that  of  the  Thames  at 
Vaiixhall  bridge.  It  is  often  very  low;  and 
not  navigable  for  steam-boats.  The  water  is 
then  extremely  clear;  but  when  I  saw  it,  the 
river  had  been  swelled  by  the  late  rains,  and 
was  very  muddy.  The  surface  of  its  unruffled 
and  rapid  stream  was  nearly  covered  by  trunks 
of  trees,  which  had  been  washed  down  by  the 
torrents  from  the  forests,  and  rendered  it  often 
necessary  to  stop  the  engine,  in  ord^r  to  prevent 
accidents  to  the  paddles.  In  our  passage  down 
the  river  we  passed,  amongst  others,  Blenner- 
hasset's  Island,  so  called  from  its  having  been  the 
residence  of  a  person  of  that  name,  who  had 
involved  himself  in  the  supposed  conspiracy  of 
Colonel  Barr,  who,  in  1806,  fitted  out  an  armed 
expedition  on  the  Ohio,  with  which  he  intended 
either  to  make  a  hostile  incursion  into  the 
Spanish  territories,  or,   according  to   the  more 


26  SIX    MONTHS 

general  belief,  to  make  himself  master  of  New 
Orleans,  with  a  view  to  the  formation  of  an 
independent  power.  Blennerhasset  had  beauti- 
fied the  island  at  a  great  expense,  but  his  pro- 
perty was  confiscated  by  order  of  government. 

We  passed  Wheeling,  a  town  containing 
about  6000  inhabitants,  and  manufactories  of  the 
same  kind  as  those  at  Pittsburg.  At  this  place, 
it  is  said,  that  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  rail-road 
is  to  come  in  contact  with  the  river. 

Maysville  is  a  much  prettier  town,  with  a 
more  picturesque  situation;  and  looks  well,  in 
spite  of  its  red  houses.  I  ascended  a  hill  whence 
I  had  a  fine  view  of  the  Ohio,  which  is  here 
above  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width.  It  is  ob- 
servable of  its  banks,  that  they  never  rise  to  any 
height,  directly  from  the  water,  on  both  sides  of 
the  river  at  the  same  time.  If  they  are  abrupt 
on  the  one   side,   the   opposite  shore  is  sure  to 


IN    AMERICA.  27 

display  a  fine  strip  of  cultivated  land  intervening* 
between  the  hills  and  the  river,  in  the  back 
gTOund.  Near  Portsmouth,  on  the  Ohio,  is  a 
slip  of  ground  containing  4000  acres,  the  whole 
of  it  planted  with  Indian  corn,  but  it  is  hidden 
from  the  view  of  the  steam-boat  passengers 
by  the  trees  on  the  margin  of  the  river. 

About  twenty-four  miles  from  Maysville,  on 
the  road  to  Lexington,  is  a  very  fine  sul- 
phureous spring,  called  "  the  Blue  Lick."  There 
are  several  houses  in  the  neighbourhood  for  the 
accommodation  of  visiters,  who  resort  thither  for 
the  benefit  of  the  water. 

Lexington  is  the  neatest  country  town  I 
had  yet  seen  in  the  United  States;  the  streets 
are  regular  and  spacious,  and  delightfully  shaded 
by  acacia  trees,  which  are  planted  before  every 
house  :  it  contains  about  6000  inhabitants.  Al- 
though comfortable  and  cheerful  in  its  appear- 


28  SIX    3IONTHS 

ance,  Lexington  is  the  only  place  of  note  in  the 
United  States,  whose  prosperity,  for  several 
years,  has  been  on  the  decline.  It  could  boast 
of  excellent  society ;  but  being  an  inland  town, 
and  supported  only  by  the  surrounding  country, 
it  is  now  paying  the  penalty  for  having  enlarged 
itself  beyond  its  means  of  supply.  One  addi- 
tional cause  of  its  decline  is  the  great  increase 
of  steam  na\agation  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi, 
which  affords  so  much  greater  facility  to  travel- 
lers going  to  New  Orleans  than  the  land 
route,  which  runs  through  Lexington.  A  col- 
lege which  had  been  established  here  did  not 
answer  the  expectations  of  its  founders,  and  a 
few  years  since  was  unfortunately  burnt. 

Till  lately  the  greatest  confusion  prevailed 
through  the  whole  of  Kentucky,  in  consequence 
of  the  complicated  state  of  titles  to  landed 
property,  which  has    considerabl}'  retarded  the 


IN    AMERICA.  29 

advance  of  its  prosperity.  Lands  were  sold  by 
the  government  of  Virginia  before  tlie  separa- 
tion of  Kentucky  from  that  state,  without  having 
been  previously  surveyed  and  marked  out.  The 
consequence  was,  that  four  or  five  difi'erent  per- 
sons entered  with  their  warrants  of  possession, 
as  purchasers  of  the  same  lots,  where,  in  many 
cases,  their  interest  had  already  been  sold  and 
re-sold.  The  endless  litigation  occasioned  by 
this  state  of  aifairs  produced  a  law,  limiting  the 
time  of  action  to  seven  years,  after  which  the 
occupier  was  to  remain  in  undisputed  possession 
of  the  property. 

The  system  of  country  banks  has  been  still 
more  ruinous  to  Lexington,  and  the  state  of 
Kentucky  generally.  They  were  first  established 
towards  the  end  of  the  year  1817.  The  persons 
principally  connected  with  them  were  members  of 
the  legislature ;  about  forty  of  them  were  opened 


30  SIX    MONTHS 

with,  of  course,  a  very  limited  capital,  but  an 
unlimited  supply  of  paper.     The  establishment 
of  the  branch  bank  of  the  United  States  obliged 
them  to   pay  in  specie,    and  the    consequence 
was  the  greatest  embarrassment  in  their  affairs. 
The  directors  enacted  what  laws  they  pleased,  to 
save  themselves  from  the  impending  ruin :  they 
abolished   imprisonment   for    debt,    and   passed 
what  were  called  stay  laws, — general  and  parti- 
cular enactments,  which  extended  the   time  of 
payment;  a  desperate  mode  of  proceeding,   and 
which  only  served  to  plunge  them  deeper  in  the 
mire.     Those  who  were   of   opinion  that  pay- 
ment of  debts,  contracted  at  a  time  when  paper 
was    the    only    currency,     could    not    now    be 
demanded   in    specie,  contrived   to   get    a   law 
passed  establishing  a  new  court,  filled  by  judges 
whose  opinions  coincided  with  their  own,  and 
who  were  removable  at  pleasure.      The  deci- 


IN    AMERICA.  31 

sions  of  this  court  were  at  variance  with  those 
of  the  old  one,  and  a  new  and  old  court  party 
immediately  arose.  The  judges  of  the  new 
court,  however,  immediately  resigned.  Public 
and  private  credit  is  still  at  a  low  ebb,  and  the 
ultimate  ruin  of  many  of  the  leading  families 
in  the  state,  who  are  connected  with  the  banks, 
appears,  I  was  informed,  almost  unavoidable. 

A  rail-road  to  Louisville  is  shortly  to  be 
commenced,  which  will,  no  doubt,  much  be- 
nefit the  town  and  surrounding  country.  At 
the  distance  of  a  mile  stands  the  English-looking 
residence  of  Henry  Clay,  Esq.,  whose  public 
services  are  too  well  known  to  need  any  remark 
here. 

I  visited  several  caves  in  this  neighbour- 
hood; that  called  Russell's  cave,  distant  about 
six  miles,  is  most  worthy  of  attention.  It  is 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  in  length,  formed  in  a 


32  SIX    MONTHS 

rock,  composed  of  innumerable  strata  of  marine 
shells,  embedded  in  lime-stone.  The  action  of 
water,  occasioning  an  immense  pressure,  is  evi- 
dent at  first  sight.  A  delicious  spring  issues 
from  the  cave,  which  unfortunately  was  so 
swollen  as  to  prevent  my  entrance.  Three 
miles  hence,  I  observed  two  Indian  forts.  The 
larger  is  surrounded  by  a  trench,  which  is  now 
about  seven  feet  deep  and  three  quarters  of  an 
inch  in  length.  In  the  swollen  one  the  ditch 
is  considerably  deeper  and  more  distinct,  en- 
circling it  on  every  side,  excepting  where  an 
entrance,  wide  enough  to  admit  a  carriage,  has 
been  left  untouched  by  the  spade. 

At  Lexington,  I  was  much  amused  at  the 
master-aping  manners  of  the  slaves.  They  give 
themselves  great  airs.  On  Sundays  they  either 
hire  hacks,  or  more  commonly  ride  their  mas- 
ters' horses.     I  saw  dozens  of  them,  attended  by 


IN    A  ME  in  C  A.  33 

tlieir  females,  playing  the  agreeable  on  horse- 
back, and  "doing  a  bit  of  park"  "a  la  mili- 
taire."  The  slaves  of  the  southern  states  are  a 
very  Imppy  race.  In  some  places  their  numbers 
constitute  a  "plaie  politique,"  equally  trouble- 
some, and  far  more  formidable,  than  the  system 
of  poor  laws  in  England.  In  many  places  they 
far  outnumber  the  whites,  who  are  obliged  to 
use  great  precautions,  and  restrict  their  slaves 
in  many  particulars.  About  twenty  years  ago 
a  conspiracy  was  formed  by  the  negroes  at 
Lexington :  a  house  was  to  be  set  on  fire,  and 
whilst  every  one  repaired  to  the  spot,  they  were 
to  take  possession  of  a  large  stand  of  arms  kept 
at  the  inn,  and  the  defenceless  crowd  were  to  be 
fired  upon.  The  bank  was  to  be  plundered, 
and  the  town  burnt.  The  conspirac}'  was  dis- 
covered by  a  negress,  who,  on  the  preceding 
evening,  told  her  master  that  the  leaders  were 

VOL.  II.  D 


34  SIX    MONTHS 

below,  in  deliberation,  and  tliat  if  he  would 
listen,  he  would  be  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
what  she  said.  He  did  so,  and  they  were  taken 
into  custody. 

There  are  still  such  animals  in  existence  as 
slave  merchants,  but  they  are  not  numerous. 
Slaves  are  purchased  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  and  sent  down  the  Mississippi  to  the 
sugar  plantations  at  New  Orleans.  An  able- 
bodied  young  negro  is  worth  three  hundred 
dollars,  and  the  merchant  is  encouraged  in  his 
brutal  traffic  by  a  sure  market,  and  a  profit  of 
at  least  thirty-five,  and  frequently  of  forty  or 
forty-five  per  cent.,  after  deducting  the  neces- 
sary expenses  for  food  and  clothing,  and  making 
allowances  for  losses  by  death  and  accident. 
Three  or  four  years  back,  one  of  these  men  and 
his  assistants  were  murdered  on  the  Mississippi 
by  a   cargo    of  slaves,  who   spared   no  torture 


IN    AMERICA.  35 

tliat  could   be   applied   by  means   of   fire   and 
steel. 

In  Virginia,  if  a  black  is  freed  by  his  master 
he  is  presented  as  a  nuisance  by  the  grand  jury, 
and  generally  is  not  allowed  to  remain  in  the 
state.  In  Kentucky,  a  freed  man  cannot  leave 
his  native  county  without  quitting  the  state 
entirel}^;  and  a  master  who  emancipates  his 
slave,  is  obliged  to  give  security  to  the  county 
for  his  maintenance.  Even  a  white  man,  who 
would  be  called  a  vagrant  in  England,  is  there 
liable,  not  only  to  be  taken  up  but  to  be  sold,  for 
two  or  three  months,  to  the  highest  bidder, 
who  has  the  power  of  treating  him  as  a  slave, 
if  he  refuse  to  work.  When  any  ship  arrives 
at  Charleston  in  South  Carolina,  the  police  im- 
mediately go  on  board,  and  have  the  power  of 
arresting  the  black  cook,  or  any  free  negro  they 
find  there,  who  is  placed  in  confinement  till  the 

d2 


36  SIX    MONTHS 

sliip  is  ready  to  put  to  sea  again.  So  jealous 
are  they  of  the  presence  of  a  free  negro,  that 
a  master  is  not  permitted  to  emancipate  his  slave 
without  sending  him  out  of  the  state ;  and  if  a 
slave  has  left  South  Carolina,  in  the  capacity  of 
valet  with  his  master,  and  has  once  obtained  his 
liberty,  by  setting  foot  in  a  free  state,  he  is 
never  allowed  to  return.  At  Washington,  the 
sound  of  the  slave  auctioneer's  hammer  may  be 
heard  within  a  short  distance  of  the  capitol. 
In  Virginia,  the  country  of  Hampden- Sydney 
College,  the  slave  population  amounted,  in  1830, 
to  469,724,  being  larger  than  that  of  any  other 
state,  and  bearing  a  proportion  to  the  whites  of 
rather  less  than  four  to  six.  In  Georgia  there 
is  a  county,  most  appropriately  called  Liberty 
County,  where  the  slave  population  is  to  the 
whites  as  five  to  one. 

The  sim'e  children  are  not  instructed  to  read 


IN    AMERICA.  37 

or  write  at  the  expense  of  tlieir  masters ;  if  they 
enjoy  these  advantages,  they  have  been  taught 
by  persons  of  their  own  colour.  If  they  couki 
write,  they  woukl  forge  their  pass-papers,  and  run 
away;  and  those  who  can,  are  always  ready  to  do 
this  for  those  who  cannot.  The  slave  population 
could  not  be  educated,  and  remain  long  in  a 
state  of  bondage.  Its  march  of  intellect  would 
be  stronger  and  more  terril^le  than  the  fire  in 
the  vast  American  forests  which  it  would  tra- 
verse :  to  check  it  is  impossible,  and  flight  is 
unavailing ;  so  that  the  only  means  of  a^'oiding 
destruction  is  to  add  vigour,  and  give  direction 
to  the  flame. 

Che  piu  facil  saria  svolger  il  corso 
Presso  Cariddi  alia  volubil  onda, 
O  tardar  Borea  allor  die  scote  il  dorso 
Deir  Appennino,  e  i  legni  in  mare  aftonda. 

The    apparent   advantage    of   procuring    labour 


38  SIX    MONTHS 

for  notliing  is  often  far  outweighed  by  the 
consequences  arising  from  the  idle  and  care- 
less manners  of  the  slaves,  and  the  expense 
incurred  in  their  maintenance.  Two  white 
men  will  easily  perform  the  v/ork  of  three 
negroes,  when  the  w^eather  is  not  intolerably 
hot.  They  do  as  little  as  they  can  for  their 
masters;  but  on  a  holiday  they  will  w^ork  for 
each  other  like  real  slaves.  Even  an  unaccus- 
tomed eye  would  recognize  a  slave  district  by 
the  slovenly  appearance  of  the  farms,  and  of 
every  thing  connected  with  them.  The  resi- 
dence of  the  slaves  is  usually  at  some  little 
distance  from  the  dwelling-house  of  their  master. 
The  quarter,  as  it  is  termed,  consists  of  a  niun- 
ber  of  small  huts,  with  a  larger  house  for  the 
overseer,  and  will  sometimes  contain  three  hun- 
dred or  four  hundred  negroes,  with  their  fami- 
lies, and   all   more    or  less  distantly  related  to 


IN    AMERICA.  39 

each  other.  An  arable  farm  will  scarcely  pay, 
unless  its  superintendent  be  a  man  of  skill,  firm- 
ness, and  perseverance.  So  much  depends  upon 
him,  that  if  he  be  a  person  of  that  character,  a 
good  farm,  one  year  with  another,  will  return  a 
profit  of  eight  or  ten  per  cent. ;  but  it  is  usually 
not  so  large,  and  is  never  equal  to  the  emo- 
lument of  an  attentive  agriculturist  in  the 
northern  states,  where  slaves  are  unknown. 

By  the  last  census,  the  total  population  of 
the  United  States  was  1-2,856, 165:  of  these 
2,010,436  were  slaves,  existing  only  in  what 
are  termed  the  southern  states,  of  which  Mary- 
land is  the  most  northerly.  It  is  said,  that 
supposing  an  inclination  to  secede  from  the 
Union  should  be  prevalent  in  the  southern 
states,  the  danger  they  would  incur  from  their 
inability  to  defend  themselves  against  their  black 
population,  would  be  a  sufficient  reason  for  their 


40  SIX    MONTHS 

thinking  twice  on  the  subject.  There  can  be  no 
doubt,  that  the  slaves,  with  an  offer  of  liberty? 
would  prove  a  most  formidable  weapon  in  the 
hands  of  an  enemy.  This,  however,  is  not 
very  likely  to  take  place,  at  least  not  as  yet. 
Before  I  quitted  America  a  partial  insurrec- 
tion had  taken  place  in  Virginia,  in  which 
sixty  or  seventy  persons  were  brutally  massacred 
by  the  negroes ;  and  it  is  most  probable  that  the 
state  legislature  will  consider  of  some  measures 
by  which  the  superabundant  slave  population  may 
be  effectually  disposed  of.  Their  attention  will 
probably  be  directed  to  the  colony  of  Liberia,  on 
the  windward  coast  in  Africa,  hitherto  supported 
exclusively  by  the  funds  and  management  of  the 
colonization  society,  which  provides  vessels  for 
the  transportation  of  slaves  manmnitted  on  con- 
dition of  their  departure  for  that  place.  Within 
the  last  few  years  two  or  three  hundred  negroes 


IN    AM E III C A.  41 

have  been  annually  sent  out  of  the  country  in 
this  manner.  The  capital  of  the  colony,  which  is 
defended  by  a  garrison,  is  called  Monravia?  be- 
cause it  was  founded  during  the  presidency  of 
Mr.  Monroe.  The  blacks  support  themselves  by 
traffic  with  the  natives,  and  by  cultivating  the  soil 


I  really  think  I  had  not  seen  more  than  one 
or  two  ponds  in  the  United  States,  before  I 
entered  the  state  of  Kentucky ;  there,  they  are 
common  enough,  and  plenty  of  bull-frogs  may 
usually  be  heard  grunting  in  the  mud  on  their 
margins.  With  the  aid  of  a  little  fancy,  there 
is  certainly  some  truth  in  the  assertion,  that  the 
noise  they  make  resembles  the  words  "  blood 
and  'ounds,"  repeated  in  a  very  deep  and  coarse 
human  voice. 

I  confess   that   I   had  formed   an   erroneous 


4t2  SIX    MONTHS 

idea  of  Kentucky,  at  least,  of  that  part  of  it 
through  which  I  passed.  Contrary  to  my  ex- 
pectations, I  found  the  land  as  much  cleared  as 
in  any  state  I  had  previously  seen.  The  soil  is 
very  rich  in  many  parts ;  and  \nll  produce  five 
or  sLx  crops  of  Indian  corn  or  wheat,  in  successive 
years,  without  the  assistance  of  manure.  It  is  a 
positive  fact,  that  the  grazing  farmers  will  not 
unfrequently  pull  down  and  remove  the  sheds  in 
the  fields,  sooner  than  incur  the  trouble  and 
expense  of  clearing  away  the  quantity  of  manure 
that  has  accumulated  in  them.  Labour  is  dear, 
and  land  is  cheap;  so  that  a  farmer  who  can 
clear  good  fresh  land  whenever  he  pleases,  has  no 
inducement  to  be  at  the  expense  which  is  neces- 
sarily laid  out  on  a  farm  in  England,  before  it  is 
rendered  sufficiently  productive.  The  dressing 
of  land,  by  laying  on  manure  or  otherwise 
improving  it,  would,  hi  Kentucky,  be  considered 


IN    AMERICA.  43 

generally,    a  waste   of  labour.       Hemp   is    the 
staple  article  of  produce  in  this  state. 

The  finest  specimens  of  American  forest 
scenery  are  to  be  found  in  Kentucky :  the  oaks 
and  sycamores,  in  particular,  grow  to  an  immense 
size,  and  throw  a  delicious  shade  on  the  soil 
beneath;  which  is  often  free  from  all  kinds  of 
underwood,  and  covered  with  a  carpet  of  green- 
sward, —  affording  the  finest  pasture  ground 
imaginable  to  great  numbers  of  cattle,  whicli 
are  constantly  grazing  there.  I  was  forcibly 
reminded  of  the  beautiful  description  in  the 
opening  scene  of  "  Ivanhoe." 

I  had  resolved  to  visit  the  great  Mammoth 
cave  in  Kentucky,  distant  about  120  miles  from 
Lexington,  on  the  right  of  the  Nashville  road. 
I  accordingly  proceeded  in  that  direction,  and 
soon  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  Kentucky  river. 
I  considered  this  ferry  tis  a  most  beautiful  speci- 


44  SIX    MONTHS 

men  of  Indian  scenery.  The  river  is  here 
seventy  or  eighty  yards  across,  and  flows  with 
a  dark  and  quiet  stream,  between  two  very  high 
cliflPs,  whose  bold,  bare,  limestone  fronts  are 
seen  to  great  advantage,  as  they  rise  above  the 
mass  of  forest,  that  intervenes  between  their 
base  and  the  water.  It  bore  some  resemblance 
to  Swinsund  ferry,  on  the  frontier  of  Sweden 
and  Norway,  although  certainly  inferior. 

Shaker's  town  is  occupied  as  the  name  im- 
plies, by  persons  of  that  sect.  One  of  their 
number,  which  amounts  to  a  few  hundreds,  is 
an  architect,  and  this  accounts  for  the  superior 
build  of  their  houses.  From  Glasgow,  a  cross 
road  conducted  me  to  Bell's  tavern,  a  solitary 
house  standing  at  the  meeting  of  the  Lexington 
and  Louisville  roads,  to  Nashville,  in  the  midst 
of  what  are  called  "  the  barrens."  These 
barrens,  it  is  supposed  by  many,  were  originally 


IN    AMERICA.  45 

Prairies,  or   "  Pararas,'*   as   tliey  are   called  by 
tlie  lower  class  of  Americans,  but  are  now  prin- 
cipally covered  by  dwarf  oaks.     Wild  turkeys, 
deer,  pheasants,  and  the  bird  called  the  barren 
hen,    which  is    also    the    prairie    hen,    and   the 
grouse  of  the  northern   and  middle  states,  are 
found  in  the  barrens:  cougars,  wolves,  foxes,  &c. 
are  also  to  be  met  with  there.    At  Bell's  tavern, 
which,   by  the  way,  is  a  very  comfortable  little 
country  inn,  I  procured  horses  and  a  guide,  and 
set    out   for    the    Mammoth    cave.        After    an 
agreeable    and   shady   ride    of    seven   miles,    I 
arrived    at   a   small   lonely    log   house    tavern, 
built  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  mouth  of 
the  great  cave.     There  are  several  smaller  caves 
in  the  neighbourhood  ;  but  the  only  one  of  these 
I  visited  was  the  white  cave ;  of  no  extent,  but 
curious,   on  account  of  the  number,  and  diver- 
sified shape  of  its  stalactitic  formatigns,  formed 


46  SIX    MONTHS 

by  tlie  depositions  of  water,   dropping  through 
the  limestone  rock. 

Immediately  in  front  of  the  inn,  begins  a 
narrow  path  winding  down  a  dark  ravine,  which 
conducts   to   the   cave.      Its   entrance  is  over- 
shadowed by  the  dark  foliage  of  the  surrounding 
trees,    and  its  appearance  altogether  is  exceed- 
ingly gloomy,  and  calculated  to  inspire  a  feeling 
of  horror.   The  presence  of  two  beautiful  humm- 
ing birds  very  much  heightened  by  contrast  the 
effects  of  the  scene.     They  were  darting  in  all 
directions,  as  quickly  as  the   eye  could  follow ; 
sometimes   passing   mth    the   greatest   rapidity 
across  the  mouth   of   the    cave,    or   remaining 
for  an  instant,   motionless  in    the  air,  as  they 
sipped,    on  the   wing,    of  the  water   that   was 
incessantly  dripping  from  the  projecting  rock. 
I  could  not  but  think  of  the  incantation  scene  in 
"Der  Freychlitze." 


IN    AMERICA.  47 

The  very  sudden  encounter  of  cold  air  at 
the  mouth  of  the  cave,  is  more  agreeable 
than  safe  durino:  the  hot  weather.  Not  that  the 
air  itsehf  is  damp  or  unwholesome ;  on  the  con- 
trary, it  is  particularly  dry  and  healthy.  I  have 
been  told  of  its  acting  as  a  febrifuge,  and 
can  easily  believe  it.  A  great  quantity  of  salt- 
petre was  made  there  diu-ing  the  late  war.  The 
works  still  remain,  but  have  not  been  used  for 
many  years.  The  salt  was  procured  by  pouring 
water  over  a  wooden  trough,  filled  with  the  earth 
from  the  cave,  which,  when  saturated,  was  allowed 
to  run  off;  was  then  boiled,  and  the  salt  separated 
by  vaporization.  By  this  process,  two  pounds  of 
salt-petre  were  procured  from  one  bushel  of 
earth.  The  air  is  so  highly  impregnated  with 
the  saline  particles,  that  meat,  butter,  cheese, 
and  many  other  substances,  after  remaining  a 
short  time  in  the  cave,  become  of  a  bright  red 


48  SIX    MONTHS 

colour,  aiKl  are  unfit  for  use.  I  was  attended  by 
an  old  man,  and  two  boys,  sons  of  the  landlord, 
each  of  us  carrying  a  small  lamp,  with  an  ad- 
ditional supply  of  grease  to  trim  them.  The 
rock  is  very  low  near  the  entrance,  but  soon 
expands  to  a  magnificent  size.  The  average 
width  and  height  may  be  about  seventy  feet,  but 
in  some  places  it  is  more  lofty,  and  far  wider. 
I  first  visited  an  antehamber,  and  walked  a  mile 
before  I  reached  the  end,  where  there  is  a  small 
but  curious  waterfall,  that  has  worked  its  way 
into  the  side  of  the  rock  in  a  serpentine  direc- 
tion. Sulphur,  red  and  yellow  ochre,  may  be 
picked  up  there  ;  and  gum  borax,  sulphate  of 
magnesia,  and  sulphate  of  soda,  are  found  adher- 
ing to  the  walls  in  considerable  quantities,  but 
not  in  every  part.  We  returned  from  the  ante- 
chamber and  proceeded  up  the  principal  part  of 
the  cave.     The   roof  and  sides   were  but  little 


IN    AMERICA.  49 

broken,  and  in  general  their  evenness  and  regu- 
larity of  angle  were  surprising.     The  walking 
was  very  good  at  first;  but  our  passage  was  soon 
impeded  and  rendered  fatiguing,   by  the  enor- 
mous number  of  loose  blocks  of  limestone,  that 
were   heaped  up  on  every  side.     At  intervals 
we  came  to  a  small  pyramid  composed  of  broken 
fragments,  raised  by  the  aborigines,  who  have 
left   traces    of  their    existence    throughout  the 
whole  of  North  America.      I  pulled  down  one 
of  them,  and  found  only  the  remains  of  a  fire ; 
similar  marks  are  to  be  seen  on  the  bare  rock 
in  many  parts  of  the  cave.     Pieces  of  cane  wath 
which  Kentucky  originally  abounded,  within  the 
memory    of   many    now   living,    were    strewed 
around,  having  evidently  afforded  the  fuel  with 
which  these  fires  were  fed.     In  some  places  the 
face  of  the  rock  had  been  slightly  worked,  but 
fbr  what  purpose  will  for  ever  remain  undeter- 

VOL.   II.  E 


50  SIX    MONTHS 

mined.  The  floor  of  the  cave  is  generally 
parallel  with  the  surface  of  the  ground  above, 
as  no  great  rise  or  fall  is  perceivable  throughout 
its  entire  direction.  At  about  the  distance  of  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  its  mouth,  the  cave  takes 
a  majestic  bend  to  the  left,  and  two  miles  fur- 
ther we  arrived  at  what  is  called  "the  cross 
roads."  From  this  large  and  gloomy  expanse, 
four  distinct  caverns  branch  out  in  different 
directions.  The  glare  of  our  lamps  was  just 
sufficiently  powerful  to  display  the  opening  on 
the  left.  It  looked  as  black  and  dismal  as 
darkness  could  make  it,  and  was  formed  by  vast 
fragments  of  rock,  thrown  together  with  a 
confusion  equalling  that  at  the  pass  in  the  Py- 
renees, usually  known  by  the  name  of  Chaos. 
We  clambered  over  them,  and  after  half  an 
hour's  walking,  we  arrived  at  what  seemed  to 
be  the  termination  of  the  cavern;  but,   in  the 


IN    AMERICA.  51 

corner  on  the  left,  is  a  kind  of  natural  chimney, 
through  which  we  climbed  to  another  chamber. 
It  did  not  much  differ  from  the  other  parts  of 
the  cave,  excepting  that  it  is  much  w^der  in 
proportion  to  its  length,  and  the  roof  blacker. 
A  solitary  bat  was  clinging  to  it,  and  was  the 
only  living  animal  I  saw  in  the  cave.  No  others 
inhabit  this  mansion  of  utter  darkness.  The 
small  pyramids  of  stone,  and  the  marks  of  fire, 
were  very  numerous.  We  explored  the  other 
branches  of  the  cave  in  succession.  At  intervals 
the  huge  blocks  of  limestone  rose  nearly  to  the 
roof,  and  seemed  to  set  progress  at  defiance;  but, 
after  mastering  the  summit,  we  were  enabled 
to  continue,  till  we  reached  another  and  similar 
difficulty.  The  cave  never  appeared  to  such 
effect  as  when  seen  from  the  top  of  one  of  these 
eminences ;  because  its  downward  dimensions 
were  not  visible  by  the  liglit  of  the  lamps,  and 

E  2 


52  SIX    MONTHS. 

a  bottomless  pit  was  an  easy  conjecture.     The 
most  terrific  place  is  what  is  called  the  cataracts; 
here,   the  floor  sinks  away  to  a  greater  depth, 
and  a  large  chasm  is  formed  on   one    side  by 
gigantic   mis-shapen    rocks,    fearfully    disposed 
over    the    head  of   the    explorer,    as    he   gladly 
descends  to  refresh  himself  with  a  draught  of 
the  pure,    delicious  water,    that  falls  from  the 
roof.     I  thought  I  had  never  before  seen  any- 
thing so  unearthly,  excepting  perhaps,  the  crater 
of    Vesuvius.       We     subsequently     entered    a 
smaller   part    of  the    cave,    which  is  gradually 
contracted  into  so  narrow  a  passage,   that  we 
were  obliged  to  crawl  on  all  fours.     It  led  us,  in 
a  few  minutes,  to  the  brink  of  a  large  black  pit, 
down  which  I  tossed  some  fragments  of  stone, 
and  we   heard   them  descending  from  rock  to 
rock,  for  the  depth,  I  should  judge,  of  150  feet. 
In    this    manner    I    visited  three,    and    I    have 


IN    AMERICA.  58 

reason  to  believe,  all  the  four  extremities,  of  the 
principal  branches  of  the  cave.     I  had  been  told 
that  it  was  as  much  as  twelve  miles  to  the  end  of 
the  cavern  which  I  entered  through  the  chim- 
ney, and  that  the  cave  itself  had  been  explored 
for  more  than  fourteen.     The  guides  make   it 
out    to  be  more    than   double  its   real   length. 
I  was  more  than  six  hours  under  ground,  and 
moving  almost  incessantly,  during  which  time, 
as    nearly  as    I    could   calculate,    I  walked  but 
nine  or  ten  miles.     The   extreme   ends  of  the 
principal  branches,  1  should  say,  were  between 
four  and  five.     There  are  several  smaller  cham- 
bers,  which  I   did    not  visit,  but   I   heard  that 
they  contained  nothing  new,  or  different  from 
the   others;  and   feeling  greatly  fatigued,   was 
glad  to  emerge  into  the  open  air.     I  found  it 
requisite    to   pause    at   the    entrance:    there    is 
no  intermediate  temperature  between  tlie  cool, 


54  SIX    MONTHS 

but  not  chilly  air  of  tlie  cave,  and  the  sultry 
atmosphere  of  noon.  The  sensation  was  extra- 
ordinary ;  with  both  my  arms  extended,  one  hand 
would  be  warm,  at  the  same  time  that  I  would 
gladly  withdraw  the  other  from  the  contact  of 
the  colder  air  of  the  cave.  Those  who  do  not 
take  the  precaution  of  waiting  a  few  minutes, 
are  almost  invariably  attacked  with  giddiness, 
or  a  fainting  fit. 

I  had  erred  in  believing  that  the  huge  bones 
of  the  mammoth  and  other  quadrupeds  at  pre- 
sent unknown,  had  been  found  in  this  cave ; 
and  in  imagination  I  had  listened  to  the  dying 
cries  of  agony  sent  forth  by  those  stupendous 
animals  as  they  struggled  in  the  thundering 
billow  of  the  deluge  that  had  risen,  and  rolled 
into  their  hiding  place,  and  reduced  them  to 
a  state  of  frenzy  and  desperation.  But  it  has 
received   its    name    of   the    "  mammoth    cave" 


IN    AMERICA.  55 

only  on  account  of  its  superior  size  and  extent : 
the  term  being  frequently  applied  where  size 
or  importance  is  intended  to  be  designated. 
For  instance,  the  branch  bank  of  the  United 
States  at  Cincinnati,  is  called  the  Mammoth 
bank.  None  but  human  bones  have  been  found 
in  this  cave.  These  were  often  dug  up  by 
the  saltpetre  manufacturers,  and  were  usually 
found  lying  side  by  side,  but  separated  and 
covered  over  by  a  rough  slab  of  limestone.  I 
was  informed  that  upwards  of  a  hiuidred  ske- 
letons had  been  there  unearthed ;  and  it  is 
probable  that  more  are  still  remaining  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  cave.  In  general  they  are 
not  larger  than  those  of  the  ordinary  race  of 
men.  They  are  doubtless  the  remains  of  some 
of  that  ancient  nation,  whose  very  name  is 
unknown;  whose  customs  and  occupation  are 
unrecorded ;   whose    chiefs  and   heroes    remain 


56  SIX    MONTHS 

unchronicled,  and  whose  existence  is  to  be  traced 
only  in  the  monuments  of  death  or  warfare. 

The    manner   in  which    this  and  the    other 
caves    in   Kentucky   have    been    formed    may, 
perhaps,  be  more  than   conjectured.     They  are 
all    composed    of  secondary   limestone,    resting 
on  a  substratum  of  sand, — a  singular  formation, 
but  one  that  is   common  in  this  part  of  Ame- 
rica.    The  sand  may  have  been  gradually  dis- 
lodged by  the  action  of  water;  a  theory  which 
the  sloping  nature   of  the  ground  between  the 
cave  and  the  Green  river,   only  a  few  hundred 
yards   distant,  does  not  contradict.     A  gentle- 
man informed  me  that  he  had  lately  witnessed 
a   similar   process.      He   had   for   a  long   time 
watched  the  increase  of  a  small  sand  bank,  that 
had  been  forming  in  a  stream  on  his  own  pro- 
perty in    the    lower   part   of    Kentucky, — and 
upon  further  examination  he  found,  as  he   ex- 


IN    AMERICA.  ^  57 

pected,  that  a  cave  had  been  gradually  hol- 
lowed out  by  the  action  of  the  water  behind 
it.  The  whole  of  this  country  and  the  region 
watered  by  the  Mississippi,  is  diluvial,  and  in 
many  places  marine  shells  and  the  fossil  re- 
mains of  marine  animals  have  been  found  in 
great  abundance. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  the  cave,  there  are 
a  great  many  wild  turkeys,  and  a  tolerable 
sprinkling  of  deer,  but  both  w^ere  difficult  of 
approach  at  that  season  of  the  year.  I  was 
exceedingly  anxious  for  a  shot  at  a  wild  turkey, 
but  committed  a  great  error  in  loading  with  ball 
only;  and  although  I  contrived  to  get  three  or 
four  fair  shots  on  the  ground,  and  on  the  wing, 
yet  I  confess  through  eagerness  to  have  missed 
them.  Once  I  contrived  to  near  a  brood,  but 
had  the  mortification,  although  close  to  them,  to 
hear  them  rising  one  by  one  on  the  other  side  of 


58  SIX    MONTHS 

a  thicket;  and  when  I  did  pull  at  the  last  bird, 
my  gun,  which  was  loaded  with  shot,  missed  fire 
through  the  badness  of  the  copper  cap.  After 
vainly  toiling  through  the  forest  in  search  of  a 
deer,  for  one  whole  August  day,  I  was  poacher 
enough  to  drop  down  the  Green  river  in  a  canoe, 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  cave,  at  two  in  the  morn- 
ing, in  order  to  get  a  shot  at  one  whilst  feeding 
upon  the  moss  at  the  bottom  of  the  river.  A 
light  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  boat  with  a 
board  behind  it.  I  sat  in  the  middle  of  the 
canoe,  which  was  paddled  forward  by  a  man 
at  the  stern ;  both  of  us  being  as  silent  as 
possible.  The  darker  the  night,  the  better;  the 
deer  stand  gazing  at  the  light,  till  the  canoe 
almost  touches  them;  they  appear  as  white  as 
a  sheep,  and  the  aim  of  a  Kentucky  rifle  is 
usually  too  true,  at  any  reasonable  distance,  to 
render  the  death  of  one  of  them  an  uncertainty. 


IN    AMERICA.  59 

But  I  was  again  unfortunate.  I  had  been  dis- 
appointed in  tlie  attendance  of  an  experienced 
hunter,  whom  I  had  engaged  to  go  with  me, 
and  my  companion,  who  was  a  novice,  allowed 
three  deer  that  were  standing  close  to  us,  but 
not  distinguishable  by  me  among  the  tall  sedge, 
to  run  off  untouched  by  the  random  shot  I  sent 
after  them.  The  back-woodsmen  are  excellent 
marksmen,  their  rifles  are  long  and  heavy,  carry- 
ing a  very  small  ball,  often  not  bigger  than  a 
large  pea.  With  these  a  good  shot  will  alter- 
nately hit  and  miss  the  head  of  a  squirrel  at 
sixty  yards  distance. 

I  returned  to  Bell's  tavern  with  the  deter- 
mination of  advising  every  travelling  friend 
who  visited  Kentucky,  by  no  means  to  leave 
that  state  without  having  seen  the  Mammoth 
cave;  and  I  think  that  a  sportsman,  well  pro- 
vided with  dogs,   guns,   &c.,  might  well  spend 


60  SIX    MONTHS 

a  week  in  a  very  satisfactory  manner  by  taking 
up  his  quarters  at  Bell's  tavern.  When  we  had 
forded  the  Green  river,  the  coachman  addressed 
a  man  on  the  opposite  side,  and  asked  him 
how  his  wife  was,  "  Thank  'e,  I  guess,  she 's 
smartly  unwell  this  morning,"  was  the  reply. 

Louisville  is  about  ninety  miles  from  the 
cave.  For  the  last  twenty,  the  road  runs  along 
the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  passing  through  the 
most  magnificent  forest  of  beech  trees  I  had 
ever  beheld.  There  is  nothing  remarkable  in 
the  appearance  of  Louisville.  It  is  a  large 
and  regularly  built  town,  containing  11,000 
inhabitants.  From  this  place  the  larger  steam- 
boats start  for  New  Orleans.  Those  that  come 
from  Pittsburgh  are  of  smaller  dimensions,  on 
account  of  the  shallowness  of  the  water.  The 
course  of  the  Ohio,  from  Pittsburgh  to  Louis- 
ville  is   about   600  miles,   and  thence,    to    its 


IN    AMERICA.  61 

confluence  with  the  Mississippi,  is  nearly  300 
more.  The  length  of  the  Mississippi,  from  its 
junction  with  the  Ohio,  is  1200.  The  falls, 
or  rapids  of  the  Ohio,  are  immediately  below 
Louisville,  and  part  of  them  may  be  seen  from 
the  town. 

I  had  been  very  desirous  of  seeing  St.  Louis 
and  the  Missouri;   but  the  season  was  too   far 
advanced,  and  tliat  part  of  the   country  is  ex- 
ceedingly imhealthy  during  the  summer  heats. 
Steam-boats   run    thither    constantly,    in    three 
days,   from   Louisville.       There  is  also  a  land 
conveyance,   which    occupies    nearly  the    same 
time  on  the  joiu-ney,   and  passes  through  the 
p-reat  Prairies,  in  Indiana  and  Illinois.     Wild 
turkeys  are   there   very   plentiful;    quails    and 
Prairie-hens  are  frequently  to  be  seen  from  the 
road  in  great  abundance ;   and  I  would  strongly 
recommend  any  traveller  who  is  fond  of  shoot- 


62  SIX    MONTHS 

ing,  and  who  will  put  up  with  very  indifferent 
accommodation,  to  proceed  for  about  one  hun- 
dred miles,  or  even  less,  by  this  road,  into  the 
Prairies,  for  the  purpose  of  shooting.  It  must, 
however,  be  added,  that  he  will  probably  kill 
much  more  than  he  can  either  eat  or  carry  away. 
That  there  is  a  great  quantity  of  game  in 
some  parts  of  America  is  indisputable ;  but  it  is 
equally  so,  that  it  is  fast  decreasing  in  others. 
Unless  some  attention  be  paid  to  preserving, 
deer  will  become  extremely  scarce,  except  in 
the  unsettled  country;  and  the  breed  of  wild 
turkeys  will  be  extinct,  as  they  are  not  found 
much  to  the  west  of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri 
rivers.  Go  where  you  will,  you  are  told  there 
is  plenty  of  game  of  some  kind ;  but  the  sports- 
man who  relies  on  this  information  at  this 
season  of  the  year,  while  the  trees  are  yet  thick 
with   foliage,    will   be    surely    disappointed.      I 


IN    AMERICA.  63 

have  occasionally  stayed  for  a  day  at  different 
places,  where  I  had  been  induced  to  believe 
that  I  should  find  some  sport;  but  I  seldom 
found  any  game,  although  I  always  took  with  me 
some  person  well  acquainted  with  the  woods. 
The  want  of  dogs  must  certainly  be  taken  into 
consideration. 

The  inhabitants  of  Kentucky  may  be  called 
the  Gascons  of  America.  They  have  a  hu- 
morous, good-natured,  boasting,  boisterous  pecu- 
liarity of  language  and  manner,  by  which  they 
are  known  in  all  parts  of  the  Union.  To 
a  stranger,  they  are  courteous  and  hospitable; 
]:)ut  amongst  themselves,  they  quarrel  and  fight, 
like  the  Irish,  for  fun ;  or  merely  to  see  which 
is  the  best  man,  without  any  provocation ;  and 
they  evince  great  partiality  for  their  own  state — 
^vllich  they  familiarly  denominate  "  Old  Ken- 
tuck," — perhaps  more  than  the  inhabitants  of 
any  other  in  the  Union. 


64  SIX    MONTHS 

Kentucky  was  originally  used  by  the  Indians 
as  a  hunting-field,  and  for  no  other  purpose. 
The  neighbouring  nations  agreed  never  to  build 
upon  it. 

From  Louisville,  I  proceeded  in  a  steam- 
boat to  Cincinnati,  in  eighteen  hours.  About 
forty  miles  on  this  side  of  the  town,  we  passed 
the  mouth  of  the  stream,  so  well  known  by  the 
name  of  the  "  Big  Bone  Lick, "  on  account  of 
the  number  of  the  bones  of  the  mammoth  and 
other  animals  that  have  been  frequently  dug  up 
in  its  vicinity.  There  is  a  sulphur-spring,  and 
a  house  for  the  accommodation  of  visitors.  Our 
distinguished  countryman,  Mr.  Bullock,  whom 
I  saw  at  Cincinnati,  had  been  lately  residing  on 
the  spot  for  three  months,  and  had  had  twenty 
men  constantly  employed  in  digging.  He  had 
discovered,  amongst  other  animals,  the  bones  of 
a    smaller   and  distincts   pecies   of  migalonyx; 


IN    AMERICA.  65 

an  animal  having  partly  the  generic  character  of 
the  armadillo,  and  partly  that  of  the  sloth,  and 
nearly  equalling  the  rhinoceros  in  size.  But 
the  most  remarkable  remains  were  those  of  a 
young  colt,  and  a  gigantic  horse,  that  could  not 
have  been  less  than  twenty-four  hands  high. 
Unfortunately,  however,  for  the  advancement  of 
science,  they  were  all  destroyed  by  a  fire,  which 
took  place  about  three  weeks  before  my  arrival. 
The  fossil  remains  of  about  thirty  animals,  now 
supposed  to  be  extinct,  have  been  found  at  the 
Big  Bone  Lick;  and  Mr.  Bullock  conjectures 
that  there  are  no  more  remaining.  That  the 
animals  did  not  perish  on  the  spot,  but  were 
carried  and  deposited  by  the  mighty  torrent, 
which  it  is  evident  once  swept  over  the  face  of 
the  country,  is  probable,  from  the  circumstance  of 
marine  shells,  plants,  and  fossil  substances  having 
been  found,  not  only  mixed  with  the  bones,  but 

VOL.  II.  F 


66  SIX    MONTHS 

adhering  to  them,  and  tightly  wedged  into  the 
cavities  of  the  skulls — "  those  holes  where  eyes 
did  once  inhabit,"  were  often  stopped  up  by  shells 
or  pieces  of  coral,  forcibly  crammed  into  them. 

From  the   Big   Bone  to  the  Blue   Lick,  a 
distance  of  about  sixty  miles,  there  is  a  buffalo- 
path.     Those  animals  existed  in  great  numbers 
in  this  part  of  the  country,  within  the  memory 
of  many  individuals  now  living.      They  passed 
from  one  favourite  spring  to  the  other  in  vast 
herds,  always  pursuing  the  same  path,  seldom 
turning  to  the  right  or  left,   and  overturning 
very  young  trees,   or  any  slight  obstacle  that 
might  occur  in  their  line  of  march.    They  have, 
however,  long  been  killed  oif  from  the  eastern 
side  of  the    Ohio,  and   Mississippi;  not  being 
seen  nearer  than  within  fifty  miles  of  St.  Louis. 
They  are  found  in  innumerable  herds  in  the 
widely  extended   plains  of  the   Missouri,    and 


IN    AMERICA.  G7 

towards  the  region  of  the  rocky  mountains. 
The  Indians  kill  a  great  many  of  them,  for  the 
sake  of  their  skins,  whicli  sell  in  Philadelphia  at 
four  dollars  a  piece,  while  that  of  a  bear  may  be 
purchased  for  three.  They  are  so  numerous, 
that  this  traffic  occasions  no  perceptible  differ- 
ence in  the  size  of  the  herds.  An  Indian  will 
drive  an  arrow  so  hard  that  the  point  will  appear 
on  the  other  side  of  the  buffalo.  At  certain 
seasons  of  the  year,  their  tramping  and  bellow- 
ing may  be  heard  at  a  vast  distance  on  the 
plains,  by  putting  the  ear  to  the  ground ;  and  in 
this  way,  if  heard  in  the  morning,  incredible  as 
it  may  appear,  it  will  sometimes  be  evening 
before  the  hunters  can  come  up  with  them. 
The  bonassus,  exhibited  some  years  ago  in 
London,  was  merely  the  common  American 
buffalo;  which  is,  strictly  speaking,  the  bison, 
or  animal  with  the  hump,  and  not  the  buffalo. 

f2 


68  SIX    MONTHS 

The  bison  is  found  of  different  sizes  and  under 
different  names  in  Africa,  in  Asia,  in  the  island 
of  Madagascar,  and  on  the  Malabar  coast;  and 
exists,  as  we  have  seen,  in  immense  numbers  in 
North  America ;  and  it  will  associate  with,  and 
breed  with  tame  cattle:    but  the   real  buffalo, 
which  has  no  hump  on  the  shoulder,  is  not  found 
in  the  New  Continent,  but  is  common  in  India, 
and  in  Africa,  near  the  Cape.     I  have  also  seen 
them  in  the   Pontine  marshes,  where  they  are 
used  for  agricultural  purposes.     A  marked  dif- 
ference between  the  buffalo  and  the  bison,  from 
the  different  varieties  of  which,  it  is  supposed, 
that  our  domestic  animals  have  descended,  is  to 
be  observed  in  the  fact  of  the  tame  cattle  re- 
fusing  to   breed   with  the  buffalo,    and  in   the 
period  of  gestation  in  that  animal  being  extended 
to  a  whole  year. 

The  navigation  of  the  Ohio  and  the  Missis- 


IN    AMERICA.  69 

sippi,  is  often  rendered  dangerous  by  the  trunks 
of  trees,  or  snags,  as  they  are  called,  which,  in 
floating  down  the  stream,  get  entangled  and 
stick  fast  in  the  mud  at  the  bottom ;  presenting 
a  most  formidable,  and  frequently  unseen  point 
near  the  surface  of  the  water.  Our  steamer  ran 
upon  one  of  them,  but  was  soon  got  off  again  by 
means  of  a  long  spar  of  wood  that  was  dropped 
into  the  water,  and  then  used  as  a  lever,  with 
the  side  of  the  boat  for  a  fulcrum,  by  means  of 
a  rope  wound  about  the  capstan  and  fastened  to 
the  top  of  the  spar.  In  the  midst  of  the  con- 
fusion, an  American  stepped  up  to  me,  and  said, 
"  Stranger,  I  guess  we're  in  a  bad  fix  !"  To 
be  in  a  good  or  a  bad  fix  is  an  expression  very 
commonly  made  use  of  in  cases  of  dilemma. 
Speaking  of  a  man  placed  in  the  stocks,  for 
instance,  a  common  American  would  remark, 
that  he  was  in  a  "  bad  fix, "  without  the  least 


70  SIX    MONTHS 

fear  of  committing  a  pun,  even  at  Philadelphia, 
where  the  disease  is  very  prevalent.  The  Ame- 
rican error  is  detected  in  the  formal  and  decided 
accentuation  of  particular  syllables  in  several 
common  words,  and  in  the  laughable  misuse  of 
many  others ;  and  not  in  any  mispronunciation 
of  the  language,  generally.  The  word  Engine, 
for  instance,  is  pronounced  Engine ;  favourite, 
favourite  ;  European,  European,  &c.  A  patois, 
or  provincial  dialect,  such  as  is  heard  in  the 
more  distant  counties  in  England,  is  unknown 
amongst  the  natives  of  the  United  States ;  and 
the  similarity  of  language  to  be  heard  in  every 
part  of  the  Union  that  I  visited,  could  not  but 
attract  my  attention  as  an  Englishman.  To 
travel  by  the  mail,  for  two  or  three  hundred 
miles,  and  to  sit  beside  a  coachman  who  spoke 
as  good  English  as  the  one  with  whom  I  first 
started,  had  certainly,  at  least  I  thought  so,  the 
effect  of  shortening  the  distance. 


IN    AMERICA.  71 

The  education  of  the  poorer  classes  is  very 
much  attended  to,  excepting  perhaps,  in  the 
more  western  states,  where  the  inhabitants  think 
they  can  get  on  just  as  well  without  it.  In  the 
Atlantic  states,  there  is  not  one  person  in 
five  hundred  (I  am  speaking  of  native  Ameri- 
cans), that  cannot  read  and  write.  The  mail 
would  often  stop  opposite  a  solitary  log-house, 
in  the  midst  of  the  thickest  forest,  and  throw 
down  a  newspaper,  which  was  immediately 
picked  up,  and  spelled  over  with  the  greatest 
avidity.  Most  of  the  back-woodsmen  can  talk 
with  all  reasonable  correctness  of  the  state  of 
Europe  generally,  but  the  reform  bills  in  Eng- 
land, and  the  Liverpool  rail-road,  were  always 
amongst  the  most  prominent  subjects  of  eager 
inquiry.  An  Englishman  cannot  travel  a  mile 
in  a  stage  coach  in  the  United  States,  without 
being  asked  whether  he  has  been  on  the  Liver- 


72  SIX    MONTHS 

pool  rail-road.  In  Europe,  and  in  France 
particularly,  it  is,  "  Have  you  seen  de  tunnel 
under  de  Thames?"  It  is  the  usefulness  in 
forwarding  the  prosperity  of  a  country  that  sug- 
gests the  American  query:  whilst  with  the 
Frenchman,  the  use  is  entirely  out  of  the  ques- 
tion ;  he  thinks  merely  of  the  magnitude  and  the 
novelty  of  the  undertaking,  and  never  fails  to 
remark,  that  the  engineer  was  a  native  of 
France.  A  great  proportion  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  eastern  states  are  Dutch  and  German. 
They  are  very  numerous  in  different  parts  of 
Pennsylvania,  where  they  have  the  character  of 
being  good  and  industrious  farmers  ;  but  in  other 
respects,  they  are  very  ignorant  and  opinionated, 
refusing  the  education  that  is  offered  to  them 
gratis  for  their  children,  who  are,  of  course,  far 
behind  the  young  Americans  in  intelligence. 
I  have  often,  when  passing  through  the  forest. 


IN    AMERICA.  73 

Stopped  to  ask  a  cottager's  child  of  what  country 
he  was.  A  very  frequent  answer  was,  "  Please, 
sir,  father's  an  Irishman,  and  mother's  Dutch; " 
and  "I  was  raised  here!"  The  latter  expres- 
sion is  very  commonly  used  when  the  place  of 
nativity  is  inquired  after.  I  have  been  fre- 
quently addressed  w^th.  Where  were  you  raised, 
stranger  ?  I  guess  you  're  from  the  old  country  ? 
There  are  about  half-a-dozen  words  in  constant 
use,  to  which  an  English  ear  is  unaccustomed,  in 
the  sense  they  are  meant  to  convey,  such  as — 
"  to  fix,  to  locate,  to  guess,  to  expect,  to  calkilate, 
&c."  The  verb  "to  fix,"  has  perhaps  as  many 
significations  as  any  word  in  the  Chinese  lan- 
guage. If  anything  is  to  be  done,  made,  mixed, 
mended,  bespoken,  hired,  ordered,  arranged, 
procured,  finished,  lent,  or  given,  it  would  very 
probably  be  designated  by  the  verb  "to  fix." 
The  tailor  or  bootmaker  who  is  receiving  your 


74  SIX    MONTHS 

instructions,  the  barkeeper  who  is  concocting 
for  you  a  glass  of  mint-julep,  promise  alike 
to  fix  you,  that  is,  to  hit  your  taste  exactly.  A 
lady's  hair  is  sometimes  said  to  be  fixed,  instead 
of  dressed;  and  were  I  to  give  my  coat  or 
my  boots  to  a  servant  to  be  brushed,  and 
to  tell  him  merely  "to  fix"  them  for  me,  he 
would  perfectly  understand  what  he  had  to  do. 
There  is  a  marked  peculiarity  in  the  word 
"  clever. "  In  America,  a  man  or  woman  may 
be  very  clever  without  possessing  one  grain  of 
talent.  The  epithet  is  applied  almost  exclu- 
sively to  a  person  of  an  amiable  and  obliging 
disposition.  Mr.  A.  is  a  man  of  no  talent !  no  ! 
but  then  he  is  a  very  clever  man  !  According  to 
their  meaning,  Buonaparte  was  terribly  stupid, 
and  Lord  North  was  a  very  clever  fellow  indeed. 
To  say  nothing  of  their  oaths,  their  ex- 
pressions   are    sometimes    highly    amusing.      I 


IN    AMERICA.  75 

have  heard  a  horse  described  as  a  "  raal  smasher 
at  trotting,"  and  a  highway  robbery  considered 
as  a  "  pretty  middling  tough  piece  of  busi- 
ness ; "  with  a  vast  number  more  of  the  same 
kind.  I  beg  it  may  be  understood,  that  I 
mean  these  remarks  to  apply  chiefly  to  the 
middle  and  lower  classes  of  Americans:  the 
language  of  every  one  is  perfectly  intelligible, 
and  as  I  have  before  remarked,  there  is  no 
patois :  I  think  it  should  rather  be  called  a 
"slang."  There  is  also  much  less  of  the  nasal 
twang  than  I  had  been  taught  to  expect  in 
American  parley.  Still  I  was  informed,  that 
many  Americans  when  they  hear  a  man  talk, 
will  instantly  mention  with  certainty  the  coun- 
try in  which  he  has  been  long  resident,  being 
able  to  detect  some  words,  accents,  or  expres- 
sions peculiar  to  each  state.  The  English 
language   does  not    contain  words  enough   for 


76  SIX    MONTHS 

them.  Tlie  word  congressional  is  a  fair  coin- 
age from  "  Congress,"  like  the  word  par- 
liamentary from  parliament.  But  a  member 
of  congress  is  said  to  be  deputized ;  and  a  per- 
son in  danger,  to  be  jeopardized.  I  remember 
that  about  two  years  ago  being  in  the  Jardin 
des  Plantes,  I  was  nearly  "  cameleopardized" 
by  the  giraffe  that  kicked  at  me.  In  New  York 
I  observed  that  a  gunmaker  had  put  up  over 
his  door,  "  Flint  and  steel  gims  altered  and  per- 
cussionized."  Although  the  meaning  of  all  this 
is  perfectly  understood,  still  it  is  American,  not 
English ;  and  although  the  English  language 
be  in  use,  yet  the  very  un-English  construction 
and  distorted  meaning  of  many  sentences,  ren- 
der it  so  different  from  the  language  spoken 
in  good  society  in  England,  that  I  do  not 
think  it  can  safely  be  dignified  with  the  name 
of  good  English.     But  the   English  spoken  in 


IN    AMERICA.  77 

the  first  circles  in  all  the  larger  cities  of  the 
Union,  is  usually  very  good:  so  that  between 
the  language  of  the  English  and  the  American 
gentleman,  the  difference  is  exceedingly  slight; 
but  still  there  is  a  difference  here  and  there,  by 
which  I  think  any  person  of  observation,  who 
had  been  in  the  United  States,  could  decide 
upon  the  country  of  the  speaker,  unless  of 
course  he  had  resided  in  England.  I  should 
however  add,  that  I  have  in  a  few  instances 
met  with  gentlemen  whose  language  and  pro- 
nunciation would  have  deceived  any  one. 

At  Baltimore  whilst  taking  a  sketch,  I  told 
a  drunken  ill-favoured  old  nigger,  that  I  would 
take  his  picture.  He  accordingly  placed  him- 
self in  attitude,  and  I  soon  hit  him  off  with 
the  camera-lucida.  He  was  very  much  pleased, 
and  show^ed  the  picture  to  his  coloured  friends, 
the  slaves,   who  were  working    near   me.     He 


78  SIX    MONTHS 

soon  returned  with  an  old  black  as  ugly  as 
himself,  and  said,  that  this  man  wished  to  have 
his  "title"  taken  too. 

We  arrived  at  Cincinnati,  the  emporium  of 
commerce,  and  the  largest  city  in  Western 
America,  containing  30,000  inhabitants,  and 
thirty  different  places  of  worship.  In  appear- 
ance it  differs  from  most  of  the  larger  towns 
in  the  United  States,  on  account  of  the  great 
improvement  that  has  taken  place  in  the  colour 
of  the  houses,  which,  instead  of  being  of  the 
usual  bright  staring  red,  are  frequently  of  a 
white  grey,  or  a  yellowish  tint,  and  display  a 
great  deal  of  taste,  and  just  ornament.  The 
public  buildings  are  not  large,  but  very  neat 
and  classical;  I  admired  the  second  Presby- 
terian church,  which  is  a  very  pretty  specimen 
of  the  Doric.  The  streets  are  handsome,  and 
the  shops  have  a  very   fashionable   air.      Tlie 


IN    AMERICA.  79 

principal  trade  of  Cincinnati  is   in  provisions. 
Immense  quantities  of  corn  and  grain  are  sent 
down  the   Ohio  and   the    Mississippi   to    New 
Orleans.     Part  of  it  is  consumed  by  the  sugar 
planters,   who   are  supposed  to  grow  no  corn, 
and  part  is  sent  coastwise  to  Mobile,  or  exported 
to  the  Havannah  and  the  West  Indies  generally. 
In  the  United  States,  the  word  "  corn"  is  ap- 
plied exclusively  to  the  Indian  corn  or  maize, 
other  grain  is  specified  by  name  as  in  England. 
The  quantity  of  flour  received  in  1831  at  New 
Orleans,   amounted  to   370,000  barrels,    about 
150,000  barrels  more  than  had  been  received 
in  any  former  year.     A  great  quantity  of  flour 
had  also  been  shipped  to   England,   but   it   is 
very  often  soured  by  the  warmth  of  the  water 
in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.     In  1828,  the  quantity 
of  sugar  produced  at  New  Orleans  was  88,878 
hogsheads  of  1000  pounds  each,  and  in   1827, 


80  SIX    MONTHS 

the  number  of  sugar  plantations  was  seven 
liundred,  in  which  an  aggregate  capital  of 
45,000,000  of  dollars  was  invested. 

Cincinnati  has  displayed  more  wisdom  than 
her  opposite  neighbour  in  Kentucky.     A  specu- 
lative system  of  banking  was  carried  on  about 
the  same  time,  and  was  attended  with  the  same 
results   as    those   I  have   before    noticed   when 
speaking  of  that  state.       Credit  was  not  to  be 
obtained,    commerce  was  at  an  end,   and  grass 
was  growing  in  the  streets  of  Cincinnati.     But 
the  judicature,  with  equal  justice  and  determina- 
tion, immediately  enforced  by  its  decisions  the 
resumption  of  cash   payments.      Many  of  the 
leading  families  in  the  place  were,  of  course, 
ruined,  and  at  present  there  are  not  above  five 
or  six  persons   in    Cincinnati,    who  have  been 
able  to   regain  their  former  eminence  as   men 
of  business.     But  it  was  a  sacrifice  of  individuals 


IN    AMERICA.  •  81 

for  the  good  of  the  community,  and  fortune  only 
deserted  the  speculators  in  order  to  attend  upon 
the  capitalists,  who  quickly  made  their  appear- 
ance from  the  eastern  states,  and  have  raised 
the  city  to  its  present  pitch  of  prosperity. 

Cincinnati  professes  to  have  two  excellent 
inns,  both  of  which  give  promise  of  every  com- 
fort :  the  table  was  very  good,  but  my  rest  was 
destroyed,  not  merely  disturbed,  by  the  worst 
of  vermin.  A  clean  bed,  be  it  but  of  straw,  is 
a  sine  qua  non  with  an  English  traveller;  and  as 
I  did  not  feel  perfectly  well  after  breathing  the 
unhealthy  fogs  of  the  Ohio,  I  had  consoled 
myself  with  the  idea  of  a  comfortable  sleep  for 
that  night  at  least.  But  I  was  wofully  dis- 
appointed, being  nearly  in  a  fever ;  and  when 
I  was  permitted  to  close  my  eyes  for  a  few 
minutes,    I  dreamed  of  the  most    unconnected 

VOL.   II.  G 


82  SIX    MONTHS 

subjects, — bullfrogs,  and  universal  suffrage,   for 
instance. 

I  started  by  tlie  mail,  in  order  to  cross  the 
country  to  Lake  Erie.  Before  we  were  out  of 
the  town,  the  near  leader  became  unmanageable, 
and  the  coach  was  overturned  in  the  open  street. 
I  was  on  the  box,  and  expected  to  be  kicked 
to  pieces,  as  I  fell  close  to  the  horses ;  but  pro- 
videntially they  all  four  galloped  off  with  the 
two  front  wheels,  and  no  one  was  hurt.  It  was 
scarcely  day-light — no  one  was  up — the  coach- 
man went  after  the  horses,  and  it  fell  to  my  lot  to 
deliver  the  coach  of  her  nine  inside  passengers, 
who  scrambled  out  one  by  one  through  the 
window,  guessing  and  *  calkilating '  the  whole 
time. 

By  the  evening,  we  had  reached  the  Yellow 
Springs;  a  fashionable  watering  place,  taking- 
its  name  from  the  colour  imparted  to  the  rocks 


IN    AMERICA.  83 

by  tlie  water,  wliicli  is  clialybeate.  A  large 
boarding  house  for  tLe  accommodation  of  visi- 
tors is  the  only  building  of  consequence  in  the 
neighbourhood. 

At  Centreville,  about  twenty  miles  from  the 
springs,  is,  or  rather  was,  for  it  has  been  partly 
destroyed,  a  remarkably  fine  Indian  fort;  being 
a  deep  ditch  lying  between  two  raised  banks, 
and  inclosing  a  space  of  three  quarters  of  a  mile 
in  circumference,  on  which  the  town  is  built. 
On  the  outside  is  a  large  mound,  which  had 
been  lately  opened,  and  was  found  to  contain  a 
number  of  human  bones. 

At  a  distance  of  nine  miles  from  the  springs, 
on  the  Sandusky  road,  stands  Springfield,  a  small 
thriving  town,  which  like  most  of  those  in  this 
part  of  the  country,  is  exceedingly  neat  and 
clean.  In  the  neighbourhood  is  a  considerable 
number  of  English  settlers,  chiefly  farmers  from 

G  2 


84  SIX   MONTHS 

Yorkshire.      Tliere  is  no  doubt  that  any  man 
who  is  able  and  willing  to  work  for  his  liveli- 
hood, can  always,   in  two  or  three  years,  make 
himself  master  of  a  farm,  in  the  back  woods,  in 
this    or   any    other   part   of  the    Union.      The 
average  value  of  uncleared  land,  is  a  hundred 
dollars   for   eighty  acres.      A    single   man   can 
every  where  earn  at  least  twelve  dollars  a  month. 
Provisions  are  exceedingly  cheap ;  a  sheep  or  a 
deer,  can  be  purchased  for  a  dollar ;  wheat  may 
be  about  two  shillings  the  bushel,  and  an  acre 
of  Indian  corn,   which  is  only  one  shilling  the 
bushel,  will  produce  twice  the  quantity  that  is 
raised  on  an  acre  of  wheat.     It  is  unfortunate 
that  the  common  class  of  British  emigrants  are 
too  much   disposed   to   believe    that  a  land   of 
liberty  is  identified  with  a  land  of  promise,  and 
that  when  they  emigrate  to  America,  no  difficul- 
ties will  ever  present  themselves.     The  conse- 


IN    AiMERICA.  85 

qiience  is,  that  exaggerated  accounts  of  their 
first  troubles,  bearing  no  proportion  to  their 
real  privations,  are  frequently  sent  home  to  their 
friends  in  England :  but  I  am  convinced  from 
my  own  observation,  and  occasional  colloquy 
with  my  emigrant  countrymen,  that  it  must  be 
a  man's  own  fault,  however  poor  he  may  be 
at  first,  if  he  be  not,  in  a  very  few  years,  to 
use  a  common  phrase,  completely  above  the 
world;  be  his  occupation  what  it  may.  The 
English  and  Scotch  commonly  travel  a  long- 
way  into  the  western  country,  where  they 
become  farmers  and  graziers ;  the  Irish  prefer 
remaining  in,  or  near  the  principal  to\\'Tis,  and 
what  is  very  unusual  in  Irishmen,  they  find 
employment  as  road-makers,  canal-diggers,  or 
bricklayers.  Witness  the  result  of  free,  and 
protecting  institutions.  —  Fifty  years  ago,  the 
population  westward  of  the   Alleghany  did  not 


86  SIX    MONTHS 

exceed  15,000;  now  it  amounts  to  5,000,000  ! 
The  population  of  priest-ridden  Mexico  has  not 
increased  for  centuries. 

Colum1)us,  the  capital  of  the  state  of  Ohio, 
contains  nearly  4000  inhabitants.  Its  appear- 
ance is  very  promising,  but  there  is  nothing 
in  it  to  detain  the  traveller. 

At  Mansfield  I  was  obliged  to  remain  a  day 
and  a  half,  in  consequence  of  the  late  rains 
ha^dng  rendered  the  streams  impassable.  For- 
tunately I  placed  myself  in  very  good  quar- 
ters, at  the  inn  or  tavern,  where  I  met  with 
the  greatest  civility  and  attention,  and  far  more 
comfort  and  cleanliness  than  is  often  found 
at  a  country  inn  in  the  United  States.  I 
passed  a  whole  morning  unsuccessfully  with  my 
gun  in  the  woods.  "  Well,  stranger,  are  you 
going  gunning  this  morning?"  "Yes;  and 
pray  what  game  is  there  in  the  forest  here  ?  '* 


IN    AMERICA.  87 

I  inquired.      "  Why,  sir,  there  is   robin,    and 
some  turkey,   and  considerable   squirrel,  about 
sundown."     The  robin  is  a  very  common  bird 
of  the  fieldfare  genus,  with  a  red  breast,  a  little 
larger    than    our    redwing.      However,    I   met 
with    no    turkey,    and    contented   myself  with 
seeing  my  companion  hit  or   "scare"    (terrify) 
the  squirrels  with  his  rifle.     Sassafras,  sarsapa- 
rilla,  and  ginseng,   are  fomid  in  these  forests. 
The  latter  root  is  so  plentiful  as  to  be  an  article 
of  commerce ;    great  quantities  of  it   are    sent 
to  the  coast,  and  exported  to  China,  where,  as 
is  well  known,  it  is  very  highly  prized,  being 
considered  a  panacea. 

The  last  five  miles  into  Sandusky,  or  Port- 
land, lie  over  a  small  prairie;  but  it  is  not  a 
good  specimen,  as  the  herbage  is  short,  and 
copses  of  stunted  trees  are  frequent.  Prairies 
are  either  dry  or  wet.     The  wet  prairies  are, 


88  SIX    MONTHS 

in  fact,  nothing  but  a  marsli  covered  with  long 
grass,  and  have  been  so  from  any  indefinite 
period  of  time.  Of  the  dry  prairies  some  may 
have  been  originally  wet,  and  some  may  have 
been  cleared  by  the  Indians,  for  the  purpose  of 
using  them  as  hunting  fields.  But  the  former 
supposition,  if  the  fact  could  be  ascertained, 
would  probably,  in  most  cases,  be  found  to  be 
the  true  one. 

The  shores  of  the  lake  at  Sandusky  are 
exceedingly  flat.  I  was  fortunate  in  finding  a 
steam-boat  there,  which  was  going  to  Detroit, 
Green  bay,  and  the  Saut  de  St.  Marie,  at  the 
entrance  of  Lake  Superior,  and  would  after- 
wards return  to  Buffalo.  The  "  Superior,"  as 
she  was  called,  was,  I  think,  the  most  comfort- 
able steamer  I  had  yet  entered ;  her  upper  deck, 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  length, 
was  of  great  width,  and  afforded  a  most  excel- 


IN    AMERICA.  89 

lent  promenade.     We  had  on  board  upwards  of 
sixty  passengers,   many   of  wliom  were   ladies; 
and  there  was  plenty  of  room  for  us   all,  with 
the  advantage  of  an  excellent  table,  and  a  small 
band.     The  lake  afforded  us  a  supply  of  most 
delicious  fresh  water.     Soon  after  leaving  San- 
dusky we  passed  in  sight  of  Put-in- Bay,  in  the 
Bass  Islands,  forming  one  of  the  finest  natural 
harbours  to  be  found  any  where.     Commodore 
Perry  lay  at  anchor  there  on  the  night  previous 
to  the  lOdi  of  September,  1813,  on  which  day 
he  gained  his  victory  over  our  fleet  in  the  vici- 
nity.     Night   soon    closed   in    upon    us.     We 
passed  Maiden,   or  Amherstburg,  as  it  is  more 
usually    called.      The   British    squadron    lay  at 
anchor  there  previously  to  its  engagement  with 
Commodore  Perry.     A  boat  pushed  oif  in  the 
darkness,  and  asked  to  be  taken  in  tow.     "  Who 
are    you?"    very    properly    asked    the    captain. 


90  SIX    MONTHS 

"  We,  British !"  was  the  ludicrous  answer  of  some 
French  Canadians,  and  the  steamer  passed  on. 
A  company  of  the  79th  was  stationed  at  Maiden. 
In  the  morning  we  found  ourselves  at  Detroit: 
this  place  was  a  considerable  French  settlement 
so  long  ago  as  the  year  1759,  when  it  fell  with 
the  Canadas  into  the  possession  of  the  British, 
and  is  now  increasing  with  a  rapidity  to  which 
it  is  fairly  entitled  by  its  situation,  on  the  outlet 
of  the  great  lakes.  The  French  unquestionably 
displayed  their  usual  tact  and  foresight  in  their 
choice  of  the  different  points  of  communication 
in  the  extensive  chain  of  forts  which  was  ori- 
ginally continued  from  the  Canadas  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi— the  proof  is,  that  all  of  them  are  of 
great  importance  at  the  present  time.  A  similar 
but  more  enlarged  instance  of  this,  the  highest 
grade  of  military  strategy,  is  to  be  found  in 
the  vigorous  and   persevering  policy  of  Great 


IN    AMERICA.  91 

Britain,  wliicli  has  secured  to  her  a  chain  of 
fortresses  by  which,  as  a  gallant  American 
General-officer  expressed  himself  to  me,  "  Slie 
has  check-mated  the  world."  The  master  mind 
of  General  Bernard,  the  eleve  and  aid-de-camp 
of  Napoleon,  and  perhaps  the  first  engineer 
now  living,  whom  I  had  the  honour  of  meet- 
ing at  ^^"ashington,  has  displayed  itself  in  the 
very  extensive  and  accurate  military  surveys, 
which  he  has  taken  in  almost  every  part  of  the 
United  States.  The  fortifications  which  he  lias 
constructed,  have  rendered  the  estuaries  of  the 
United  States  altogether  inaccessible  to  an 
invading  fleet.  General  Bernard,  as  is  well 
knoMTi,  has  lately  quitted  the  service  of  the 
United  States,  and  returned  to  France. 

The  wharfs  and  buildings .  at  Detroit  extend 
along  the  river  side  for  about  a  mile,  and  ex- 
hibit much  of  the  bustle  of  a  commercial  town. 


92  SIX    MONTHS 

The  streets  are  spacious  and  regular,  —  the 
largest  is  more  than  half  a  mile  in  length,  and 
contains  some  excellent  shops  and  a  capital 
hotel.  That  part  of  the  bank  upon  which  the 
city  is  built,  is  slightly  elevated  above  the  rest 
of  the  country,  and  commands  a  view  which, 
although  generally  flat,  is  far  from  being  unin- 
terestinof.  The  farms  are  laid  out  in  narrow 
slips  of  land,  which  run  parallel  to  each  other, 
and  at  right  angles  to  the  river,  reaching  to 
the  edge  of  the  forest,  distant  about  two  miles 
from  the  city.  By  this  means  the  first  settlers 
were  enabled  to  build  their  habitations  within 
a  short  distance  of  each  other ;  they  had  a 
smaller  space  of  road  to  keep  in  repair,  and 
aff'orded  each  other  a  mutual  support  against 
the  sudden  attacks  of  the  Indians.  At  Detroit, 
the  American  General  Hull  surrendered  to 
General  Brock  during  the  last  war,  but  the  city 


IN    AMERICA.  93 

was    subsequently   retaken,    previously   to    tlie 
battle  of  the  Thames. 

We  entered  the  lake  of  St.  Clair, — about 
thirty  miles  in  length,  and  twenty  five  in 
breadth ;  we  passed  a  considerable  distance 
from  its  banks,  but  they  appeared  to  be  very 
flat  and  uninteresting.  On  the  right  is  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Thames ;  made  remarkable 
by  the  victory  obtained  over  the  British  by  a 
superior  force  under  the  American  General 
Harrison.  The  celebrated  Indian  chief,  Te- 
cumseh,  fell  in  the  engagement;  and  the  im- 
portance of  this  victory  to  the  Americans  was 
felt  by  the  dissolution  of  the  hostile  Indian 
confederacy  consequent  on  the  death  of  their 
leader. 

On  the  left  of  the  entrance  to  the  river  St. 
Clair,  is  a  large  wet  prairie :  on  the  right  are 
several  islands,   forming  to  all  appearance  but 


94  SIX    MONTHS 

one  extensive  morass,  and  abounding  in  wild 
fowl.  As  tlie  channel  became  narrower,  we 
perceived  that  the  American  banks  were  far 
more  settled  than  those  on  the  Canada  side ; 
but  they  soon  alike  presented  nothing  but  a 
dense  mass  of  forest  trees,  at  a  slight  elevation 
above  the  water. 

After  moving  on  for  about  thirty  miles,  we 
arrived  at  Fort  Gratiot  at  the  head  of  the  river  ; 
it  contained  a  small  garrison,  just  sufficiently 
strong  to  resist  an  attack  from  the  Indians. 
The  pay  of  an  American  private  is  eight  dollars 
a  month,  with  an  allowance  of  one  ration  per 
diem;  but  his  duties  are  far  harder  than  those 
of  the  British  soldier,  which  accounts  for  the 
frequency  of  desertion.  A  lieutenant  in  the 
army  receives  but  sixty  dollars  a  month,  after 
deduction  for  subsistence,  forage,  fuel,  quarters, 
and  expenses  for  servants.    The  pay  of  a  captain 


IN    AMERICA.  95 

after  the  same  deduction,  amounts  to  about 
eighty  dollars  a  month.  The  stipend  of  a  naval 
captain  amounts  altogether  to  four  thousand  four 
hundred  dollars  a  year ;  his  cabin  is  furnished 
better,  and  the  alloAA'^ance  for  breakage  is  more 
liberal  than  that  of  an  English  officer  of  the 
same  rank. 

I  here  saw  an  Indian  dance  :  the  performers, 
an  old  man  and  his  sons,  advanced  towards  us, 
on  a  forest  path,  looking  like  wood  demons, 
jumping  and  racing  with  each  other,  and  utter- 
ing a  small  shrill  cry  at  intervals ;  they  were 
nearly  naked,  bedaubed  all  over  with  clay,  and 
began  the  dance  with  light  clubs  in  their  hands  : 
sometimes  they  writhed  on  the  ground  like 
snakes,  at  others  they  shook  their  clubs  at  each 
other,  and  used  the  wildest  and  most  extrava- 
gant gestures.  The  old  Indian  beat  time  on  a 
small  skin  stretched    across  a  piece   of  hollow 


96  SIX    MONTHS 

tree.  When  stooping  to  the  gTOimd  and  look- 
ing upwards,  his  features  and  figure  reminded 
me  of  the  celebrated  statue  of  the  "  Remouleur  " 
at  Florence. 

The  whole  of  this  part  of  America  is  in- 
liabited  by  the  Chippewas,  by  far  the  largest 
tribe  of  Indians  on  the  shores  of  the  great  lakes. 
The  waters  of  Lake  Huron  had  been  agitated 
by  a  furious  north  wind,  and  headed  directly 
on  the  mouth  of  the  river ;  the  current  was 
running  with  such  velocity,  that  the  steam  boat 
did  not  effect  her  passage  without  a  long  and 
very  severe  struggle,  and  when  at  last  fairly 
out  on  the  lake,  she  made  so  little  progress  that 
she  was  obliged  to  put  back.  Some  of  the 
passengers  amused  themselves  with  fishing,  and 
caught  some  black  bass;  as  for  myself,  I  pro- 
ceeded with  two  Indians  in  a  canoe  to  the 
morass    opposite    the    fort,    which  abounded   in 


IN    AMERICA.  97 

wild  fowl  of  all  kinds;  I  contrived  to  shoot  seve- 
ral ducks,  notwithstanding  the  unseasonable  cries 
raised  by  the  Indians  in  token  of  their  delight, 
on  seeing  a  bird  fall.  Their  quickness  of  sight 
and  hearing  answered  nearly  all  the  purposes 
of  a  water  spaniel,  when  I  could  not  immedi- 
ately find  a  wounded  bird.  At  length  we  made 
another  attempt,  and  entered  the  vast  expanse 
of  Lake  Huron.  The  coast  on  the  right 
stretched  away  to  the  north  nearly  at  right 
angles ;  and  we  gradually  lost  sight  of  it.  Our 
course  was  along  the  western  shore,  where  the 
banks  were,  or  seemed  to  be,  a  little  higher; 
but  still  very  low,  appearing  nowhere  to  exceed 
thirty  feet  in  height.  The  unbroken  and  inter- 
minable forest,  with  which  they  are  covered, 
contains  more  game  than  any  other  part  bor- 
dering on   the  lakes,  being  less  frequented  by 

VOL.  II.  H 


98  SIX    MONTHS 

hunters.  The  American  elk  (the  wapiti  of  the 
Egyptian  Hall),  the  moose,  and  common  deer 
are  fomid  there,  with  plenty  of  bears,  wolves, 
and  other  wild  inhabitants  of  the  forest;  the 
moose  has  the  power  of  remaining  under  water 
for  a  very  long  time,  and,  when  in  danger,  has 
been  known  to  plunge  into  a  pool,  and  remain 
at  the  bottom  for  more  minutes  than  I  care  to 
mention  here. 

We  steered  directly  for  the  Saut  de  St. 
Marie,  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Superior,  and  distant 
two  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  One  mile  of 
the  coast  on  any  of  these  lakes  will  give  a  very 
tolerable  idea  of  the  whole  of  them,  with,  of 
course,  some  exceptions.  Yet  although  there 
was  but  little  variety  in  this  respect,  the  voyage 
was  exceedingly  interesting.  The  fineness  of 
the  weather,  the  cool  breeze  so  refreshing  after 
the  sultry  heat  to  w^hich  I  had  been  exposed,  the 


IN    AMERICA.  99 

comparative  absence  of  miisquitos,  and  the  ever 
present  recollection  that  we  were  sailing  on  the 
great  lakes  of  North  America,  where,  compara- 
tively speaking,   so  few  had   been    before  me, 
gave  a  tone  to  the  excursion  that  compensated 
for  more  commanding  scenery.     As  we  passed 
Saganaw  bay,  we  were  very  nearly  out  of  sight 
of  land.     The  Mannito,   or  Spirit  islands  were 
the  next  objects  that  presented  themselves  to 
our  view:    these  are  supposed   by  the   Indians 
to  be  inhabited  by  spirits,   the  word  mannito  in 
the   Indian   language,    signifying   spirit.      We 
then  passed   Drummond   Island,    which   during 
the  last  war  contained  a  British  fort  and  garri- 
son, but  has  been  since  abandoned.     Some  ruins 
on  the  large  island  of  St.  Joseph  were  visible 
from  the  steam  boat ;   they  were   the   remains 
of  a  fort,   which  was  suffered  to  fall  to  decay, 
previously  to  the  fortifications  being  erected  on 

h2 


100  SIX    MONTHS 

Driimmond's   Island.     On  the  American  bank, 
near  the  entrance   of  the  river   St.  Marie,  we 
observed  a  spot  called  the  Sailor's  Encampment. 
The    forest   had    been   partially    cleared   away, 
and  there  was  no  vestige  of  humanity  remain- 
ing.     Some    years   ago,  a  sloop  was   wrecked 
there ;    the   crew  suffered  incredible   hardships, 
and  many  of  them  died  from  want,  before  the 
survivors  contrived  to  make  their  escape.     We 
entered  a  cluster  of  small  islands  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  and  I  thought  this  the  finest  piece 
of  lake  scenery  I  had  yet  witnessed;   as  far  as 
I  could  judge  en  passant^    they  appeared  to  be 
chiefly  composed  of  gneiss,  lying  in  large  masses 
of  rock,   resembling  those  that  are  so  common 
in  some  parts  of  Sweden.     In  comparing  these 
with  the  islands  of  Killarney,  and  Loch-Lomond, 
I  should  remark,  that  the  full  rich  foliage  did 
not  seem   complete  without   the    arbutus;    and 


IN    AMERICA.  101 

the  dark  tint  of  the  fir  trees,  with  which  thev 
were  covered,  was  not  relieved  as  in  the  Scottish 
lake,  by  the  exquisitely  delicate  appearance  of 
the  weeping  birch. 

It  Avas  a  remarkably  fine  evening :  as  the 
steamer  passed  rapidly  on,  her  paddles  seemed 
to  take  infinite  pleasure  in  defacing  the  aston- 
ished surface  of  the  water,  and  splashed  aw^ay 
through  the  liquid  crystal  with  as  little  ceremony 
as  if  they  had  been  propelling  a  mere  ferry  boat. 
Every  thing  besides  w^as  hushed  and  tranquil : 
the  very  passengers,  who  had  all  assembled  near 
the  forw^ard  part  of  the  deck,  w^ere  intensely 
gazing  upon  the  scene  around  them;  and 
watched  in  almost  breathless  silence,  as  the 
vessel  rounded  each  bend  in  the  deep,  but  com- 
paratively narrow  river,  that  developed  in  quick 
succession  some  new  and  more  beautiful  object 
at  every  turn.     Suddenly  we  heard  the  screams 


102  SIX    MONTHS 

of  a  party  of  Indians,  who  had  descried  us  from 
their  wigwams  on  one  of  the  islands,  and  were 
paddling  after  us  in  a  canoe  with  all  their  might. 
One  of  them  was  a  chief,   who   displayed  the 
flaa:  of  the  United  States.     In  the  course  of  the 
afternoon,   we  had  been  amusing  ourselves  by 
shooting  with  rifles  at  a  bottle  attached  to  a 
line  about  forty  yards  in  length ;  this  had  been 
left  hanging  from  the  stern,  and  the  endeavours 
of  the  Indians  to  catch  hold  of  the  string  afforded 
us   no    little    amusement.       Their    faces   were 
deeply  stained  with  the  red  extract  from  the 
blood  root  (Sanguinaria  Canadensis) ;  they  were 
in  the  best  possible  humour,  and  their  wild  dis- 
cordant laugh,  and  the  still  wilder  expression  of 
their   features,   as  they  encouraged  each  other 
to  exertion  with  quickly  repeated  and  guttural 
exclamations,  enabled  us  to  form  some  idea  of 
their   animated   appearance,    when    excited   to 


TN    AMERICA.  103 

deeds  of  a  more  savage  description.  By  dint 
of  the  greatest  exertion,  they  contrived  to  seize 
the  string ;  they  held  on  for  a  moment  by  it ; 
it  snapped,  and  the  canoe  was  instantly  running 
astern  at  the  rate  of  seven  or  eight  knots.  They 
again  had  recourse  to  their  paddles,  and  used 
them  with  redoubled  energy ;  we  then  slackened 
our  pace  for  a  minute  or  two,  and  threw  them 
a  rope,  by  which  they  soon  pulled  themselves 
under  the  stern.  We  conversed  with  them 
through  the  medium  of  an  interpreter,  and  made 
them  presents  of  bread  and  spirits.  They 
seemed  very  thankful,  threw  us  some  pigeons 
which  they  had  killed,  and  fired  a  feu-de-joie 
with  their  fowling-pieces  at  parting. 

The  next  morning  we  came  in  sight  of 
the  Saut,  resembling  the  inclined  plane  of  a 
large  artificial  dam.  The  scenery,  though  not 
grand,  was  decidedly  curious  and  picturesque. 


104  SIX    MONTHS 

On  the  right  are  the  Canadian  settlements,  and 
the  original  establishments  of  the  north-west 
company :  the  left  bank  is  lined  by  a  succession 
of  small  neat-looking  country  houses  and  white 
cottages.  Near  the  Saut  stands  the  fort,  large 
enough  to  contain  three  companies;  but  then 
garrisoned,  I  believe,  with  but  eighty  men. 
Every  thing  about  it  was  in  excellent  order: 
before  our  drawing  up  to  the  landing-place, 
we  were  boarded  by  several  Indians  with  moc- 
casins (leathern  sandals),  belts,  tobacco  pouches, 
and  bark  work,  for  sale. 

The  Saut  de  St.  Marie  most  effectually 
prevents  any  vessel  from  ascending  the  river 
to  Lake  Superior,  excepting  such  as  are  light 
enough  to  be  towed  up.  As  the  steam-boat 
could  not  proceed  farther,  we  embarked  in 
canoes  on  a  small  canal,  which  has  been  cut 
from  the  fort  to  the  river  above  the  Saut,  and 


IN    AMERICA.  105 

paddled    away    for    the    entrance    of   the    lake. 
Immediately  after  I  had  started,  my  canoe  began 
to  leak ;  she  was  instantly  drawn  on  shore   by 
the    Indians    close    to    a  wigwam,    and   turned 
keel    upwards.      A    light-coloured    pitch,    ex- 
tracted from  a  species  of  pine,  was  boiled  in 
about  ten  minutes.      A    piece    of  canvass  was 
then  besmeared  with  it,  and  laid  over  the  leak 
on    the    outside.     Another    layer   of  pitch  was 
followed  by  another  piece  of  canvass,  and  then 
a  third  and  last  plaster  of  the  pitch  was  spread 
over  the  whole.     In   a  quarter  of  an  hour  she 
was  again  launched  perfectly  water  tight.    These 
canoes    are    of   a  light  and  most  elegant  con- 
struction.    They  are    made   of  birch  bark  ex- 
tended over  a  slight  frame  of  cedar,  and  fastened 
or  rather  sewed  to  it,  by  the  flexible  roots  of 
the  young  spruce  tree.     They  are  usually  about 
fifteen  feet   in  length,  and  can  carry  seven  or 


106  SIX    MONTHS 

eight  persons  without  danger.     Some  of  them, 
however,  are  much  larger. 

The   land   on   each  side  of  the  river  pre- 
sented much  the  same  appearance  as  that  we 
had  hitherto  seen.     Lake  Superior  may  be  fairly- 
said   to   commence   at  the   Point  aux   Pins,    a 
flat  sandy  promontory,  distant  about  six  miles 
from  the  Saut.     Beyond  it,   the  surface  of  the 
water  is  suddenly  enlarged  to  a  width  of  three 
or  four  miles;  and  though  the  open  expanse  of 
the    lake    is   not   visible    from  the    Point,    yet 
the  high   and  abrupt  ridges  of  land  that  rise 
immediately  at  the   entrance   of  the  lake,  and 
the   clear  expanse    of   cloudless   sky   that   was 
extended  beyond    them,    clearly   informed   us, 
that  the  mighty  inland  ocean  was  near  at  hand. 
Lake  Superior  is  six  hundred  and  seventy  miles 
in   length — of  course   a   vast  deal  larger  than 
the  British  Channel, — the  water  is  as  clear  as 


IN    AMERICA.  107 

crystal,  and  cool  in  the  hottest  weather.  Being 
chiefly  supplied  by  land  springs,  the  quantity 
of  water  that  falls  over  the  Saut  is  much  greater 
than  that  which  is  poured  into  the  lake  by  its 
tributary  rivers  and  streams,  which  are  com- 
paratively small  and  insignificant.  The  sailors 
in  the  steam-boat  would  occasionally  peel  a 
large  potatoe,  and  throw  it  in  advance  of  the 
boat,  and  by  the  time  she  arrived  at  the  spot 
where  it  fell,  the  potatoe  has  sunk  to  the  depth 
of  thirty  or  forty  feet,  but  from  the  clearness 
of  the  water,  its  shape  and  colour  were  per- 
fectly distinct. 

Of  all  the  different  places  we  touched  at 
on  our  voyage,  the  Saut  had  the  strongest 
claims  on  our  time  and  attention.  We  were 
much  mortified  at  being  obliged  to  leave  it 
the  same  afternoon.  The  captain  determining 
to  return,  contrary,  I  believe,   to  the  wish  of 


108  SIX    MONTHS 

every  one  on  board.  Only  one  or  two  canoes 
that  had  started  earlier  than  the  others,  were 
able  to  proceed  farther  than  the  Point  aiix  Pins. 
In  our  way  back  to  the  steamer,  every  canoe 
shot  down  the  Saut.  This  is  an  exceedingly 
dangerous  experiment,  except  when  they  are 
guided  by  people  who  have  been  long  accus- 
tomed to  the  management  of  them.  The  Saut, 
which  is  the  only  outlet  to  the  waters  of  Lake 
Superior,  may  be  about  one-third  of  a  mile  in 
width,  and  about  half-a-mile  in  length ;  the 
fall  in  that  space  being  about  twenty-four  feet. 
The  canoes,  with  the  paddles  fore  and  aft,  soon 
began  to  feel  the  effect  of  the  current,  and  were 
immediately  after  carried  forward  with  great 
velocity.  In  many  places  the  waters  were  with- 
out foam,  and  perfectly  transparent,  and  the 
large  loose  rocks  at  the  bottom  were  distinctly 
seen;  many  of  them  rise  nearly  to  the  surface. 


TN    AMERIQA.  '      109 

but  were  avoided  by  the  remarkable  dexterity 
of  the  steersman,  where  the  slightest  want  of 
skill  must  inevitably  have  overturned  the  canoe. 
The  descent  occupied  between  three  or  four 
minutes.  The  rapids  on  the  left  bank  were 
evidently  more  furious,  and  are  very  seldom 
descended. 

The  Saut  de  St.  Marie  was  originally  occu- 
pied by  the  French  as  a  military  and  trading 
port.     At  the  foot  of  the  rapids  there  is,  I  was 
informed,  some   of  the  finest  fly-fishing  in  the 
world:    the    trout   are  very  fine,    in    enormous 
quantities,  and  rise  very  freely.     But  our  in- 
exorable captain  cared  for  none  of  these  things. 
White-fish     (supposed   by  some    to  be   of  the 
salmo  genus),    are    also    exceedingly   plentiful. 
Their  flavour  is  remarkably  fine  and  delicate. 

The  next  morning  we  approached  the  island 
of   Michilimackinac,   signifying   in    the    Indian 


110  SIX    MONTHS 

language,  tlie  Great  Turtle ;  and  so  called  from 
its   outline    bearing    a    supposed    resemblance 
to    that   animal   when   lying   upon   the   water, 
though  I  cannot  say  that  I  could  discover  so 
flattering  a  likeness.      When    within    a   short 
distance    it    appeared    to    be    diamond-shaped, 
with  an  angle  projecting  towards  us,  and  the 
sides  regularly  scarped  by  the  hand  of  nature. 
Apparently   about    the    centre    of    the   island 
rises  what  in   America  is   called  a  "bluff;"  a 
word  which   is   provoking   from   its   absurdity, 
and  constant  recurrence  in   American  descrip- 
tions of  scenery.     What  is  a  bluff?  — I  asked, 
and  so  would  any  other  Englishman :   "  A  bluff, 
sir  !  don't  you  know  what  a  bluff  is  ?     A  bluff, 
sir,  is  a  piece  of  rising  ground,  partly  rock,  not 
all  of  it,  with  one  side  steep,  but  yet  not  very 
steep,  the  other  side  sloping  away,  yet  not  too 
suddenly;    the  whole    of  it,   except  the  steep 


IN    AMERICA.  Ill 

side,  covered  with  wood;  in  short,  sir,  a  bhiff 
is  a  bkiff!"  The  word,  I  think,  may  do 
well  enough  to  express  a  small  rough  rocky 
hill,  but  sometimes  it  happens  that  a  bluff  is 
highly  picturesque,  and  then  to  talk  of  a  most 
beautiful  bluff,  is  something  like  talking  of 
"  Beauty  and  the  Beast."  As  a  substantive, 
and,  in  the  sense  in  which  it  is  used  in 
America,  the  word  is  exclusively  their  own, 
and  it  really  would  not  be  fair  to  call  it 
English.  Nevertheless,  there  is,  and  shall  be, 
«  a  bluff"  in  the  midst  of  the  island  of  Michi- 
limackinac,  rising  to  the  height  of  more  than 
three  hundred  feet  above  the  waters  of  the 
lake,  which  have  been  ascertained  to  be  about 
six  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Atlan- 
tic. On  the  left  side  of  the  island  is  the  town, 
and  above  it  appeared  the  fort.  In  the  bay 
were  several  trading  sloops,  smaller  craft,  and 


112  SIX    MONTHS 

Indian  canoes ;  and  the  sun  slione  brilliantly  on 
the  whole  of  this  enlivening  scene,  which  we 
saw  to  the  best  advantage.  The  town  may 
contain  about  eight  hundred  inhabitants,  exclu- 
sively of  the  garrison.  The  Indians  are  some- 
times to  be  seen  in  great  numbers,  even  to 
the  amount  of  one  thousand  or  one  thousand 
five  hundred,  who  live  in  wigwams  close  to  the 
water's  edge.  A  wigwam,  or  Indian  village,  is 
a  collection  of  small  tents  constructed  of  mat- 
ting and  birch  bark.  The  day  before,  we  had 
met  twenty- two  canoes  in  the  open  lake,  each 
containing  seven  or  eight  Indians,  who  were 
going  from  Mackinac  to  our  settlement  at  Pen- 
y-tang-y-shen,  on  Lake  Huron,  to  receive  their 
annual  presents  from  the  British  government. 

Mackinac  is  the  rendezvous  of  the  North- 
West  American  missionary  establishment.  It 
contained  six  missionaries ;  of  whom  four  were 


IN    AMERICA.  113 

Presbyterian,  one  a  Catholic,  and  one  of  the 
Church  of  England,  and  a  large  establishment 
for  the  instruction  of  one  hundred  children,  of 
whatever  persuasion. 

A  very  curious  and  regularly  shaped  natural 
Gothic  arch,  on  the  top  of  a  rock  at  the  north- 
eastern side,  elevated  about  two  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  lake;  a  huge  isolated 
calcareous  rock;  and  a  small  cave  called  Skull 
Cave,  are  the  natural  curiosities  of  the  island. 

The  principal  trade  is  the  fur  trade,  which 
is  carried  on  there  to  a  great  extent,  chiefly 
through  the  medium  of  Canadian  voyageurs. 
The  fort,  which  is  kept  in  admirable  order, 
commands  the  whole  town,  but  is  itself  com- 
manded by  another  eminence  in  the  woods  be- 
hind it.  During  the  late  war  a  strong  party  of 
British  and  Indians  pushed  across  from  Drum- 
mond's  Island,  with  eleven  pieces  of  cannon,  and 

VOL.  II.  I 


114  SIX    MONTHS 

being  favoured  by  the   darkness  of  tlie  night, 
contrived  to  gain  this  eminence,  distant  half-a- 
mile,  without  being  perceived  by  the  Americans 
in  the  fort,  who  had  not  received  notice  of  the 
war  having  broken  out.     They  beat  the  "  reveil- 
lee"  as  usual  in  the  morning,  and  were  exceed- 
ingly astonished  to  hear  it  immediately  answered 
by  the  British,  who  were  above  them.     Resist- 
ance  would  have    been   useless,    and   the   fort 
surrendered.      The   remains   of  the  old  British 
fortification  are  still  to  be  seen  upon  the  hill :  it 
is  called   Fort  Holmes,  after  Major  Holmes,  a 
gallant  American  officer,  who  w^as  advancing  to 
retake  it,  and  met  his  fate  at  the  head  of  the 
attacking  column.     Mackinac  was  given  up  to 
the  Americans  by  the  treaty  of  Ghent,  in  1814. 
There  was  originally  a  French  fort  and  settle- 
ment on  the  main  land  of  the  Michigan  terri- 
tory.    The  first  British  garrison  who  occupied 


IN    AMERICA.  115 

it  were  murdered  by  tlie  Indians,  and  the  fort 
and  settlement  were  afterwards  removed  by  the 
British  to  the  island. 

I  amused  myself  with  shooting  pigeons, 
which  are  to  be  found  on  the  island  in  great 
numbers.  I  was  quite  surprised  at  the  extraor- 
dinary faeiKty  and  quickness  of  eye,  with  which 
my  guide,  half  Indian  and  half  Canadian,  dis- 
covered them  sitting  in  the  thickest  foliage;  his 
sight  seemed  to  me  to  be  far  keener  than  that 
of  an  English  sportsman  when  looking  for  a 
hare.  The  woods  with  which  the  island  is  co- 
vered, are  principally  composed  of  hazel  and 
maple ;  I  could  have  fancied  myself  in  a  Kentish 
preserve,  but  that  wild  raspberries  were  in  great 
abundance  in  the  open  spaces. 

In  the  evening  I  went  to  see  the  Indians 
spear  fish  by  torch  light.  A  lighted  roll  of 
birch  bark,  emitting  a   most  vivid   flame,   was 

i2 


IIG  SIX    MONTHS 

held  over  the  head  of  the  boat,  where  the  In- 
dians were  stationed  with  their  spears.  The 
water  was  excessively  clear,  and  the  fish  were 
attracted  by  the  light,  and  several  of  them  were 
instantly  pinned  to  the  ground  at  the  depth  of 
four  or  five  feet. 

About  ten  miles  north-east  of  Mackinac  are 
the   St.  Martin's  islands ;  one  of  them  abounds 
in  gypsum.     At  about  the  same  distance  from 
Mackinac  and  on  the  main  land,  I  was  informed 
that  there  was  a  remarkably  fine  trout  stream 
that  would  amply  repay  the  fly-fisher  for  his 
trouble  in  going  there.      There  is  no  fly  fish- 
ing at  Mackinac,   but  very  fine  fish  are   to  be 
taken  with  a  bait  :  they  have  pike,  bass,  white- 
fish,    and    what    are    called    salmon -trout,     in 
great   perfection.       As    to    these    last,    I    very 
much  question  whether  they  are  of  the   salmo 
genus  at  all;  as  they  never  rise  at  a  fly.     They 


IN    AMERICA.  117 

certainly  are  not  wliat  are  called  salmon-trout  by 
Englisli  sportsmen,  nor  are  they  tlie  large  butt- 
trout  of  the  English  lakes.     I  saw  a  boat-load 
containing  a  dozen  that  had  been  caught  in  one 
night  weighing  from  fifteen  to  twenty  pounds 
each ;    they  more    resembled   in    every  respect 
the  fish  called  the  salmon  in  the  Lake  Wenner 
in  Sweden,    and  which   I    have  seen  taken  of 
an  enormous  size  below  the  falls  of  Trollliatta. 
The  meat  at  this  season  (August)   was  white, 
but   well    flavoured.      I    was   informed    that   it 
becomes    of   a    reddish   colour   in    October     or 
November. 

Mackinac  is  an  excellent  market  for  Indian 

curiosities. 

Our  next  destination  was  Green  bay,  on 
Lake  Michigan.  On  our  way  we  passed  se- 
veral fine-looking  islands, — all  thickly  covered 
with  forests,  and  apparently  uninhabited.     A  fort 


118  SIX    MONTHS 

and  a  flourishing  settlement  are  to  be  seen  at 
Green  bay ;  but  there  is  nothing  attractive  about 
either,  and  the  country  is  very  flat  and  unin- 
teresting, except  to  a  sportsman.  There  are 
plenty  of  wild  fowl  to  be  found  at  Duck  creek, 
about  three  miles  off,  and  I  proceeded  there 
in  hopes  of  shooting  some,  but  did  not  fall  in 
with  them  until  it  was  too  late  to  have  much 
sport.  However,  I  chanced  to  meet  an  old 
Indian  who  had  been  more  successful,  and  I 
carried  back  to  the  steam-boat  two  silver  ducks, 
which  answered  every  purpose,  as  no  questions 
were  asked.  My  guide  had  been  enumerating 
to  me  the  diff'erent  wild  animals  to  be  found 
in  that  part  of  the  forest,  and  I  chanced  to  ask 
him,  if  foxes  were  plentiful;  his  answer  was 
amusing,  "Yes,  sir;  there  is  considerable  fox." 
In  the  very  darkest  part  of  the  forest,  about 
two  and  a   half  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 


IN    AMERICA.  119 

creek,  was  the  residence  of  an  Indian  doctress 
and  fortune-teller.  I  landed  there  out  of  curi- 
osity to  have  my  fortune  told ;  but  her  manner, 
her  language,  and  the  substance  of  what  she 
said,  differed  in  no  respect  from  that  of  a  com- 
mon English  gipsy  woman.  She  shuffled  a 
dirty  pack  of  cards,  and  told  me  of  the  fair 
lady  and  the  dark  lady,  the  false  friend  and 
the  true  friend,  the  treasure  to  be  found  and 
the  journey  to  be  taken,  with  the  same  chapter 
of  accidents  and  unavoidable  dangers.  I  pur- 
chased some  of  her  medical  herbs :  the  principal 
plant  was  sarsaparilla.  I  observed  wild  rice 
growing  in  great  abundance  on  the  margin  of 
the  stream. 

By  passing  up  the  river  at  Green  bay,  a 
traveller  may  proceed  in  canoes  down  the  Wis- 
kansaw  river  to  the  head  of  the  Mississippi, 
having  only  to  pass  over  one  mile  of  terra  firma; 


120  SIX    MONTHS 

SO  that  with  this  single  exception,  the  whole 
distance  from  Quebec  to  New  Orleans  may  be 
travelled  by  water. 

We  left  Green  bay,  and  returned  to  Mac- 
kinac, and  passed  the  day  much  in  the  same 
manner  as  before.  Our  evening's  entertainment 
was  rather  of  a  novel  description.  A  Catholic 
priest,  whom  we  had  previously  left  at  Mac- 
kinac, and  who  was  known  to  be  an  eloquent 
man,  was  going  to  preach  in  the  chapel,  and 
accordingly  many  of  us  went  to  hear  him :  he 
had  come  to  the  island  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
holding  a  religious  controversy  with  some  of 
the  Presbyterian  clergy.  The  expected  meet- 
ing did  not  however  take  place ;  and  having 
been,  or  fancying  himself  to  have  been  very 
much  wronged,  he  entered  into  a  long  expla- 
nation of  the  whole  affair.  He  read  letters  and 
papers,  and  commented  upon  them  in  his  robes 


IN    AMERICA.  121 

from  the  altar;  he  made  a  long  tirade,  in  which 
sarcasm  and  ridicule  were  successively  promi- 
nent, and  wound  up  his  speech  more  suited  to 
the  bar  than  the  pulpit,  by  accusing  his  adver- 
sary of  telling  a  "  thumper."  Whether  he  was 
in  the  right  or  the  wrong  was  little  to  the  pur- 
pose :  in  common,  I  believe,  with  every  one 
that  heard  him,  I  thought  the  whole  proceeding- 
was  exceedingly  disgraceful. 

We  now  steered  again  for  Fort  Gratiot, 
and  passed  to  Detroit  and  Lake  Erie.  From 
Detroit  to  Buffalo  it  is  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  We  touched  at  several  posts ;  and  in 
short,  after  a  voyage  of  one  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred and  ten  miles,  performed  in  nineteen  days, 
we  arrived  at  Buffalo,  and  fired  a  salute  of 
twenty-four  guns,  one  for  each  state.  The 
distances  the  steam-boat  had  passed  over  were 
as  follows.     From  Buffalo  to  Detroit,  three  hun- 


122  SIX    MONTHS 

dred  and  fifty  miles;  to  Fort  Gratiot,  seventy- 
five  ;  length  of  Lake  Huron,  two  hundred  and 
twenty ;  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  St.  Marie 
to  the   Saut,  and  back  to  the  Lake,  one  hun- 
dred miles  ;  thence  to  Mackinac,  forty  miles ;  to 
Green  bay,  one  hundred  and  eighty;  back  to* 
Mackinac,  one  hundred  and  eighty  more  ;  thence 
to    Fort    Gratiot,    two   hundred   and   forty;  to 
Detroit,  seventy-five ;  to  Buffalo,  three  hundred 
and  fifty ;  total,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
ten  miles.     The  voyage  altogether  had  been  very 
pleasant,    and   the  weather   so   favourable   that 
quadrilles   were  danced  on  deck  almost  every 
evening.     On    one    night  only,   the  surface   of 
Lake  Huron  was  agitated  by  something  like  a 
squall,   and  the   rolling  of  the  steam-boat  was 
exceedingly   disagreeable.      I    had    nothing   to 
complain  of,  but   the   conceit  and   untameable 
insolence  of  the  stewards;  which  were  remarked, 


IN    AMERICA.  123 

and  I  have  no  doubt  will  be  remembered,  by 
many  of  the  warmest  admirers  of  liberty  and 
equality  who  were  on  board. 

Buffalo  is  a  large,  thriving  and  cheerful  town, 
containing:  about  fourteen  thousand  inhabitants. 
The  principal  street  is  spacious  and  handsome, 
and  of  great  length. 

And  now  for  Niagara,  the  diapason  of  fresh 
waters !  An  hour's  drive  brought  me  to  the 
village  of  Black  Rock,  where  the  Nigara  river 
is  about  half  a  mile  in  breadth,  and  runs  from 
the  lake  v.  ith  a  very  strong  current.  Opposite 
to  Black  Rock  are  the  remains  of  Fort  Erie, 
unsuccessfully  besieged  by  the  British  in  1814. 

I  proceeded  along  the  side  of  the  river.  Its 
rapidity  soon  ceases,  and  it  presents  a  surface 
as  still  and  as  calm  as  that  of  a  lake.  A  turn 
of  the  road  brought  my  voiture  to  a  small  inn, 
close  to  the  field  of  battle  of  Chippewa,  fought 


124  SIX    MONTHS 

during  the  last  war.  At  this  spot,  which  by  the 
road  is  about  four  miles  distant,  we  were  within 
hearing  of  the  deep  hollow  roar  of  the  cataract, 
and  first  saw  the  spray  that  arose  from  the 
gulph  beneath.  Both  are  sometimes  percep- 
tible at  a  far  greater  distance.  The  moon  was 
just  rising,  and  threw  a  faint,  pale  light  over 
the  river,  which  is  here  expanded  to  a  breadth 
of  several  miles.  There  was  scarcely  a  ripple 
to  be  seen ;  the  whole  sheet  of  water  was  tran- 
quil and  resigned :  the  stream  appeared  to  cease 
flowing,  while  all  nature,  hushed  and  breath- 
less, listened  with  it  to  the  distant  thunders  of 
the  cataract.  This  scene  is  continued  for  about 
a  mile  further,  and  thence  the  tale  is  soon  told. 
The  bed  of  the  river  begins  to  slope,  and  the 
agitation  of  the  waters  indicate  the  commence- 
ment of  the  rapids.  The  mighty  stream  rushes 
forward  with    ungovernable  violence — its    con- 


IN    AMERICA.  1'25 

fusion  and  exasperation  are  increased  every 
instant — it  nears  the  brink  of  the  precipice 
in  a  state  of  frenzy — and  bounds  over  it  to 
its  destiny  of  mist  and  foam,  in  unexampled 
volume,  and  with  terrific  impetuosity. 

This  stupendous  fall  has  been  frequently 
and  well  described;  and  I  do  but  trespass  on 
your  patience  in  remarking,  that  it  is  divided 
into  three  parts  by  two  islands — a  larger  and  a 
smaller  one.  Including  these,  the  bed  of  the 
river  immediately  above  the  fall  is  suddenly 
narrowed  to  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile. 
The  fall  of  the  rapids  above,  commencing  near 
the  village  of  Chippawa,  two  miles  from  the 
brink  of  the  cataract,  is  estimated  at  ninety 
feet.  On  the  American  side,  the  river  is  pre- 
cipitated from  a  height  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-four  feet :  on  the  Canadian  bank,  the  fall 
is  about  ten  feet  less ;    but  contains  by  far  the 


126  SIX    MONTHS 

greater  quantity  of  water,  tlie  precipice  having 
been  worn  into  the  form  of  a  vast  crescent  by 
the  "green  water,"  (so  called  on  account  of 
its  brilliantly  transparent  colour  when  the  sun 
shines  on  it),  which  falls  from  the  middle  of 
the  river  in  a  solid  mass,  not  less  than  five 
or  six  feet  in  thickness,  and  is  driven  forwards 
with  an  impetus  that  hurls  it  into  the  gulph 
below,  at  a  distance  of  fifty  feet  from  the  base 
of  the  rock. 

The  finest  general  view  is,  I  think,  to  be 
obtained  from  the  top  of  Mr.  Forsyth's  hotel 
(where,  be  it  added,  having  just  entered  the 
British  dominions,  we  drank  his  Majesty's  health 
in  a  bumper,  at  the  table  d'hote),  because  the 
whole  surrounding  country  and  the  rapids,  which 
of  themselves  are  worth  a  long  journej^,  are  seen 
at  the  same  time.  The  bottom  of  the  fall  it 
is  true  is  not  visible;   but  I  believe  the   view 


IN    AMERICA.  127 

will   not  be   tlioug'lit   tlie  less   magnificent   on 
that  account,   as  it  is  very  possible  from  that 
spot  to  imagine  the  height  of  the  fall  to  be 
even  greater  than  it  really  is.     I  may  also  be 
allovtTd  to  remark,  that  I  think  the  immediately 
surrounding  scenery  is  sufficiently  in  keeping 
with  the  grandeur  of  the  cataract,  although  I 
am  aware  that  many  are  of  a  different  opinion. 
The   country  is  on  the  same  level  both  above 
and   below   the   fall,    as   the   river   precipitates 
itself  into  a  channel  which  it  has  formed  in  the 
solid,   but   soft   fetid  limestone,  and   which,  as 
is  usually  contended,  has  been  hollowed  out  by 
the  receding  cataract,  all  the  way  from  Lewis- 
town,  distant  seven  miles. 

This  fact  has  been  sometimes  doubted,  but 
it  would  appear,  without  much  reason.  It  has 
been  ascertained  tliat  an  irregular  ledge  of  rock 
is  extended  between  the  lakes  Erie  and  Ontario, 


1*28  SIX    MONTHS 

at  a  varying  distance  from  either  of  them;  some- 
times piercing  through  the  soil  that  covers  it, 
and  in  many  places  jutting  out  wnth  salient 
and  re-entering  angles,  like  an  immense  fortifi- 
cation; and  it  has  been  supposed  that  the  Niagara 
river  has  found  its  way  into  one  of  the  ravines 
formed  between  them,  which  has  thus  become 
the  bed  of  the  river,  towards  lake  Ontario. 
This  theory,  however,  is  very  much  weakened, 
if  not  entirely  overthrowTi,  by  the  observations 
of  our  countryman,  Lieutenant  Owen,  who, 
when  employed  on  the  government  surveys  in 
the  years  1815,  16,  17  and  18,  contrived  to 
force  his  boat  nearer  to  the  foot  of  the  falls 
than  any  person  had  ever  done,  and  ascertained 
by  repeated  soundings,  that  the  nearly  con- 
stant depth  of  the  river  from  Lewistown  to  the 
falls,  was  about  two  hundred  feet,  excepting 
in  limited  spaces,  where  it  did  not  exceed  forty- 


IN    AMERICA.  129 

five  feet.  These  spaces  or  points  he  conceived 
to  be  composed  of  granite  "  in  situ,"  or  of 
some  other  rock,  which  being  harder  than  the 
soft  lime-stone  of  which  the  bed  of  the  river  is 
generally  composed,  had  offered  a  proportion- 
ably  greater  resistance  to  the  regular  action  of 
the  falling  element. 

Having  first  stripped  off  my  clothes,  and 
enveloped  myself  in  an  oilskin  dress,  I  followed 
a  guide,  who  conducted  me  under  the  fall.  This 
is  a  service  of  some  danger,  as  a  single  false 
step  in  some  places  might  prove  fatal.  As  we 
crept  along  the  side  of  the  rock  we  encountered 
a  most  furious  gust  of  wind,  that  increased  in 
violence  till  we  were  fairly  behind  the  sheet  of 
water,  and  arrived  at  what  is  called  the  Termi- 
nation Rock.  Here  we  remained  for  a  few 
minutes,  gasping  for  breath,  stunned  with  the 
noise,  and  drenched  with  a  shower  of  spray.     If 

VOL.  II.  K 


130  SIX    MONTHS 

I  wished  to  speak  I  was  obliged  to  put  my 
mouth  close  to  the  ear  of  the  guide,  and  to 
raise  my  voice  to  the  utmost;  and  it  was  with 
the  greatest  difficulty  that  I  could  look  upwards 
for  a  moment,  and  glance  at  the  tumbling 
element,  as  it  rushed  over  the  edge  of  the 
rock  that  towered  high  above  our  heads,  and 
then  fell  into  the  abyss  within  arm's  length  of 
us,  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning. 

About  half-a-mile  below  the  fall,  the  river 
is  crossed  in  a  ferry-boat.  On  the  American 
side  a  wooden  bridge  of  admirable  construction 
conducts  the  visiter  to  Goat  Island,  the  larger 
of  the  two  which  divides  the  fall.  A  walk  of  a 
few  minutes  will  lead  him  to  another  bridge, 
thrown  from  rock  to  rock,  till  it  actually  over- 
hangs the  edge  of  the  principal  part  of  the  cata- 
ract. I  am  fully  persuaded,  that  when  any 
one  who  has  seen  the  fall  from  this  spot  asserts 


IN    AMERICA.  131 

that  lie  is  disappointed,  it  is  but  a  proof  of 
insufferable  affectation,  or  what  Johnson  would 
call  "stark  insensibility."  It  is  possible,  that 
some  flat-souled  Dutchman,  who  would  thmk  of 
nothing  but  how  he  might  turn  the  course  of 
the  river  by  a  dam ;  or  some  passionless  manu- 
facturing Yankee,  who  would  "  guess  it  to 
be  a  pity  that  such  an  all-mighty  water  power 
should  remain  unemployed,"  might  regard  the 
scene,  when  viewed  from  any  other  point,  and 
remain  unmoved  by  its  grandeur ;  but  it  is  next 
to  impossible  to  look  upon  it  from  tliis  bridge, 
and  not  be  affected  with  something  like  awe 
and  astonishment.  Let  the  atheist — and,  if  he 
will,  with  wine  and  warmth  in  his  bosom — re- 
pair to  this  spot,  as  is  usual,  by  moonlight,  when 
one-half  of  the  cataract  is  in  shade,  and  the 
other  glistening  with  more  than  snowy  white- 
ness, —  he   may   there   gaze    in    security,    and 

k2 


132  SIX    MONTHS 

enjoy  the  sublime  without  terror;  but  should  one 
thought   of   annihilation    trouble    him  —  should 
he   covet    the  pinion   of  the  bald  eagle  as  he 
fearlessly  glides   over  the  abyss,    or   envy   the 
finned  tribe  that  can  live  and  revel  in  the  boil- 
ing   gulf  beneath  —  let   him   reflect,    that   his 
reason  is  with   him,  the    undoubted   substitute 
for  these  physical  advantages;  his  reason,  alike 
the  promoter  of  his  happiness  and  the  medium 
of  his  misery.     Then,  turning  to  a  more  tran- 
quil scene,  let  him  gaze   on  the  silvery  spirit- 
like   beauties   of   the   lunar    rainbow;    let   him 
observe  the  worlds  upon  worlds  that  throng  the 
heavens  above  him,  declaring  the   existence  of 
their   Creator  as    they  roll   onward   in    eternal 
obedience  to  his  will,  but  in  silent  amazement 
at  his  meaning ;  and  let  him  ask  why  his  reason 
should  be,  as  it  were,  so  tantalized  by  his  senses. 
Had   no   lesson   been  intended,  the   firmament 


IN    AMERICA.  133 

might  as  well  have  been  placed  far  beyond  the 
reach  of  mortal  sight,  and  perhaps  the  little  he 
can  see  and  know  of  it  may  teach  him  to 
believe  in,  and  hope  for,  another  and  happier 
home,  by  proving  to  him,  at  once,  how  much 
must  be  withheld  from  him,  and  how  much  must 
remain  to  be  enjoyed. 

I  am  not  aware  whether  the  experiment  has 
ever  been  tried,  but  I  should  conceis^e  that  the 
effect  of  a  Bengal  light  sent  up  from  this  bridge, 
on  a  dark  stormy  winter's  night,  would  be  ex- 
ceedingly fine. 

At  about  two  miles  below  the  fall,  the 
river  again  becomes  a  torrent.  I  proceeded 
along  the  edge  of  the  chasm  through  which  it 
rages,  in  order  to  visit  "  the  Whirlpool,"  whose 
deep  and  gloomy  appearance  well  repaid  me 
for  a  very  hot  walk. 

I  procured  a  hack,  and  rode  to  the  abyss  in 


134  SIX    MONTHS 

the  side  of  the  river,  known  by  the  appellation 
of  the  "  Devil's  Hole."  I  followed  a  party 
who  had  descended  the  ladders  before  me;  we 
all,  as  I  learned  afterwards,  took  a  wrong  path 
to  the  right,  which  soon  conducted  us  to  the 
edge  of  a  small  but  impassable  precipice,  and 
under  the  impression  that  we  had  seen  all  that 
was  worth  seeing,  we  re-ascended  the  ladders 
and  returned  to  Niagara,  after  having  enjoyed  a 
very  fine  view  of  the  river  from  the  bold  flat- 
tened rock,  that  is  projected  on  the  left  hand. 

The  road  by  which  I  passed  down  the  Cana- 
dian side  of  the  river,  for  the  purpose  of  join- 
ing the  steam -boat  on  Lake  Ontario,  at  but  a 
very  short  distance  from  Niagara,  lies  over  the 
field  of  the  murderous  and  severely  contested 
battle  of  Bridgewater,  or  Lundy's  Lane,  which 
was  fought  on  the  night  of  the  25th  of  July, 
1814,   and  terminated  without  much  advantage 


IN    AMERICA.  135 

to  either  party.  A  few  miles  further  on,  to  the 
left,  is  a  heavy-looking*  pillar,  erected  to  the 
memory  of  General  Brock,  who  was  killed  early 
in  the  battle  of  Queenston,  October  13,  1812, 
in  which  the  Americans  were  forced  to  repass 
the  river  wnith  great  loss,  whilst  several  thousands 
of  their  militia  were  idly  looking  on  from  the 
other  bank. 

Near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  on  the  Cana- 
dian side,  is  Fort  George;  on  the  American  bank 
stands  Fort  Niagara,  in  which  the  notorious 
William  Morgan,  who  wrote  a  book,  in  which, 
as  I  have  before  remarked,  he  revealed  the 
secrets  of  freemasonry,  was  confined  under  false 
pretences,  previously  to  his  being  murdered  by 
some  fanatic  masons,  and  afterwards,  as  it  is  sup- 
posed, pitched  into  the  lake,  or  the  Niagara  river. 

I  am  afraid  I  shall  be  excommunicated  by 
my  American   readers,  as   I  visited  neither  the 


136  SIX    MONTHS 

Erie  nor  the  Welland  Canals;  not  even  the 
Locks  at  Lockport,  or  the  Deep  Cut,  or  the 
Mountain  Ridge.  The  Welland  canal,  how- 
ever, is  unquestionably  a  great  national  work, 
and  reflects  much  credit  upon  the  spirited  indi- 
viduals by  whom  it  was  undertaken;  by  its 
means,  the  obstacles  presented  to  navigation  by 
the  falls  of  the  Niagara,  have  been  effectually 
overcome,  and  a  communication  opened  between 
the  lakes  Erie  and  Ontario. 

Ontario  is  one  of  the  deepest  of  the  lakes ; 
its  mean  depth  being  about  six  hundred  feet.  It 
has  been  ascertained  that  the  bottom  of  lake 
Erie,  which  is  two  hundred  and  seventy  miles  in 
length,  is  six  feet  higher  than  the  surface  of  lake 
Ontario.  The  distance  between  the  two  lakes 
is  thirty-five  miles,  in  which  space  the  river 
Kiagara  is  supposed  to  fall  about  three  hundred 
feet,  which  is  therefore  the  depth  of  lake  Erie. 


IN    AMERICA.  137 

I  embarked  in  a  splendid  steam-boat,  "  the 
Great  Britain,"  proceeding  to  Kingston,  at  the 
other  end  of  the  lake.  I  could  not  but  remark, 
that  although  a  finer  vessel,  her  table  was 
by  no  means  so  well  supplied  as  that  of  the 
American  boat  in  which  I  had  made  my  excur- 
sion to  the  great  lakes. 

During  the  short  time  we  remained  at  King- 
ston we  were  entertained  by  the  band  of  the 
66th,  which  gave  us  the  national  airs  of  England 
and  America  in  the  finest  style :  the  principal 
British  naval  establishment  and  dockyard  on  the 
lakes,  is  at  Kingston.  I  observed  two  first-raters 
and  a  large  frigate  on  the  stocks.  The  St.  Law- 
rence, of  one  hundred  and  twenty  guns,  which 
made  one  cruise  at  the  end  of  the  last  war,  was 
rotten,  and  half  sunk  in  the  water.  Tliere  were 
several  smaller  vessels  in  ordinary,  but  those  on 
the  stocks  are  not  to  be  proceeded  with,  accord- 
ing to  the  stipulations  of  the  treaty  of  Ghent. 


138  SIX    MONTHS 

Immediately  afterwards,  we  entered  the 
thousand  "  islands,"  extending  for  sixty  miles 
up  the  river  St.  Lawrence.  There  are  in  fact, 
twelve  hundred  of  them,  and  although  certainly 
very  picturesque,  are  without  variety,  and  much 
resemble  those  on  the  lakes,  being  flat  and 
thickly  covered  with  trees.  Their  number  is 
not  of  course  perceived,  as  they  lie  so  closely 
together  along  the  side  of  the  channel  that  they 
appear  more  like  points  or  promontories  from 
the  main  shore. 

I  quitted  the  steamer  at  Cornwall,  and  en- 
tered a  large  boat  with  a  number  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen  who,  like  myself,  wished  to  descend 
the  rapids.  In  our  way  to  Montreal  we  were 
obliged  to  change  our  mode  of  travelling  by  land 
and  water,  no  less  than  four  times  in  one  day. 
The  river  above  Montreal  is  full  of  rapids. 
The  most  formidable   of  these  are    called   the 


IN    AMERICA.  139 

Long  Saiit  and  the  rapids  of  tlie  Cedars.  We 
passed  down  two  or  three  of  minor  consideration, 
and  then  commenced  the  descent  of  the  "  Long- 
Saut."  Our  boat  was  carried  along  at  a  great 
rate  for  several  miles,  and  soon  approached  the 
only  part  that  can  be  considered  dangerous, 
where  the  river  was  running  with  appalling 
violence.  The  waves  as  soon  as  they  are  formed, 
do  not  subside  and  then  swell  up  again  at  regular 
distances,  but  dart  furiously  onward,  racing  and 
crowding  upon  each  other  in  a  most  extraordi- 
nary confusion  of  spray  and  foam,  that  rises 
to  a  height  of  four  or  five  feet,  and  splashes 
over  the  sides  of  the  boat,  to  the  great  discom- 
fiture of  the  ladies'  dresses,  and  the  very  serious 
looks  of  the  gentlemen.  The  boatmen  directed 
our  attention  to  the  rapids  of  the  "  Lost  Chan- 
nel" on  our  left,  from  which  we  were  divided 
by  an  island.     They  are    far  more    dangerous 


140  SIX    MONTHS 

than  those  we  were  passing-,  and  at  a  distance 
of  half-a-mile,  we  could  see  that  the  river  was 
most  terribly  agitated.  The  "  Lost  Channel" 
receives  its  name  from  the  number  of  persons 
that  have  perished  there.  In  the  old  French 
war,  three  hundred  British  troops  were  lost 
in  the  torrent;  the  first  boat  took  the  wrong 
channel,  the  others  followed,  and  all  went  to 
pieces.  The  floating  bodies  first  intimated  to 
a  French  garrison  on  the  river  below,  the  sur- 
prise that  had  been  intended  for  them.  The 
boatmen  are  of  course  usually  experienced  per- 
sons, and  if  sober  there  is  no  danger;  but  it 
is  not  always  that  they  are  so.  At  one  place 
our  tipsy  pilots  allowed  the  boat  to  swing 
across  the  stream:  fortunately  the  worst  of  the 
rapids  were  passed,  or  an  accident  might  have 
occurred.  Both  the  Long  Saut  and  those  of 
the  Cedars  which  we  saw  from  the  road,    are 


IN    AxMERICA.  141 

certainly  more  boisterous  tlian  tliose  at  tlie 
Saiit  cle  St.  Marie,  on  account  of  tlie  greater 
body  of  water  in  the  St.  LawTence,  but  the 
descent  at  the  latter  is  more  rapid  as  the  fall  is 
far  more  precipitate  in  proportion  to  its  length. 

I  entered  a  steam-boat  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ottawa,  which  although  a  noble-looking  stream 
in  other  respects,  is  dark  and  dirty  in  compa- 
rison with  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  latter  river 
seems  not  to  relish  the  alliance.  A  sudden 
change  is  perceivable  in  the  colour  of  the  water, 
the  line  of  junction  being  distinctly  observable  ; 
and  for  scores  of  miles  down  the  St.  Lawrence, 
its  clearer  w^aters  confine  themselves  to  the 
eastern  bank,  while  those  on  the  western  are 
discoloured  by  the  "  Ottawa  tide."  I  afterwards 
ascended  the  Ottawa.  We  arrived  at  La  Chine, 
and  proceeded  by  land  to  Montreal.  The 
mountain  behind   it   was  already  in   sight,   but 


14-2  SIX    MONTHS 

the  city  itself  by  tliis  road,  remained  hidden 
till  we  were  within  a  very  few  miles  of  it.  I 
passed  through  it  the  same  evening,  intending 
to  see  it  on  my  return.  The  Hercules,  a  very 
fine  steam-boat,  carried  me  to  Quebec  in  about 
twenty  hours ;  touching  at  "  the  Three  Rivers," 
eighty-four  miles  from  Quebec,  and  ninety-six 
from  Montreal.  Six  miles  from  Quebec,  we 
passed  the  mouth  of  the  Chaudiere  river,  cele- 
brated for  its  falls,  which  are  situated  about 
three  or  four  miles  from  the  spot  where  it 
empties  itself  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  whose 
banks,  every  where  interesting,  become  still 
more  so  on  approaching  Quebec,  being  thickly 
lined  with  Canadian  villages.  Every  cottage 
is  white ;  the  churches  are  of  the  same  colour, 
with  their  spires  covered  with  tin,  and  are  fre- 
quently to  be  seen  at  a  great  distance  out- 
topping  the  neighbouring  forest  and  glistening 


IN    AMERICA.  143 

in  the  sunbeam.     In  some  places  tlie  river  is 
two  miles   in  width;   but  at  Quebec  it  is  nar- 
rowed   to    about   a   mile,    which    adds    to    the 
beauty  of  the  view  by  making  the  lofty  banks 
appear  higher  than  they  really  are.      On  the 
left  are  seen  the  fortifications  on  Cape  Diamond, 
the  most  elevated  spot  in   the  vicinity  of  the 
city.     On  the  right  is  Point  Levi.     At  different 
distances  down  the  river  are   Cape  Tourment 
and  the   Beaufort  mountains,    and  the  Isle   of 
Orleans,  dividing  the  river  into  two  channels  — 
that  on  the  left  being  dangerous  for  any  but 
very  small  vessels.      The   city   itself  was   not 
visible   till   the   boat  was   standing  in   for   the 
landing-place.     Numerous  merchant  ships  were 
lying  at  anchor  in  different  parts  of  the  river; 
whilst  rafts,  ferry-boats,  and  smaller  craft,  were 
moving  in  all   directions.      The    Government- 
House,   or  Castle  of  St.  Louis,   was  the  most 


J  44  SIX    MONTHS 

prominent  object:  below  it  on  the  right,  is  the 
old  parliament  house.  The  space  which  inter- 
venes between  these  buildings  and  the  water, 
is  occupied  by  the  lower  town,  which  like  all 
lower  towns,  is  far  more  dirty  and  lively  than 
the  upper  ones,  where  some  of  the  streets  are 
dull  and  even  gloomy.  The  only  two  large 
steeples  in  Quebec,  are  those  of  the  Protestant 
and  Catholic  churches.  The  upper  town  is 
surrounded  by  a  strong  rampart,  and  cannon 
are  planted  in  every  place  where  they  could  be 
used  with  advantage  in  case  of  a  siege.  The 
whole  city  is  commanded  by  the  fortress  on 
Cape  Diamond,  which  it  is  supposed,  when 
finished,  will  be  impregnable.  The  interior 
works  occupy  a  space  of  about  six  acres,  and 
are  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the  precipice,  where 
it  is  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height. 
In   1775,  the   American   General   Montgomery 


IN    AMERICA.  145 

and  his  two  aides-de-camp  were  killed  by  the 
same  cannon-shot  at  the  water's  edge  beneath 
the  fort. 

I  think  I  shall  never  forget  the  appearance 
of  the  view  from  the  ramparts.  It  is  very 
beautiful  and  inexpressibly  enlivening.  In  look- 
ing down  the  river,  the  isle  d'Orleans  is  on 
the  right;  in  the  extreme  distance  is  Cape 
Tourment ;  while  on  the  left  is  a  gently  sloping 
bank,  exhibiting  all  the  varied  hues  of  extensive 
cultivation,  between  thirty  and  forty  miles  in 
length,  and  from  two  to  five  and  six  miles  in 
width,  and  reaching  from  the  margin  of  the 
water  to  the  foot  of  the  Beaufort  mountains. 
The  most  conspicuous  villages  are  Indian  Lo- 
rette,  Charleburg,  Beaufort,  and  the  Chateau 
Richer,  easily  distinguished  by  their  light 
steeples  covered  with  tin.  Beside  these,  many 
hundreds  of  white  cottages  are  scattered  over 
the   plain;    and   the   road    to    Montmorenci    is 

VOL.  II.  L 


146  SIX    MONTHS 

entirely  lined  with  them.  I  was  reminded  by 
the  prospect,  of  the  highly  cultivated  garden 
that  environs  a  city  on  the  eastern  coast  of 
Spain.  Olive  trees  and  vineyards,  it  is  true, 
there  were  none ;  but  olive  trees  and  vineyards 
are  not  missed  at  a  great  distance,  and  the 
Charleburg  country  is  backed  by  the  fine  range 
of  the  Beaufort  mountains,  which  although  not 
of  the  highest  elevation,  can  yet  boast  of  a 
very  picturesque  outline;  and  being  thickly 
covered  with  a  noble  forest,  have  at  least  one 
advantage  over  the  barren  rocks  that  usually 
rear  their  heads  in  the  vicinity  of  a  Spanish 
"  vega." 

On  the  south  side  of  the  city,  at  a  distance 
of  two  miles,  are  the  plains  of  Abraham,  and  at 
their  further  extremity,  is  Wolfe's  cave.  The 
view  from  the  bank  above  is  scarcely  less  en- 
chanting than  that  I  had  so  lately  turned  from. 
On  the  western  horizon  are  seen  the  mountains 
which  by  the  late  decision  of  the  king  of  the 


IN    AMERICA.  147 

Netherlands  are  to  form  the  boundary  line 
between  the  Canadas  and  the  United  States. 
The  intermediate  landscape  is  most  delightful; 
large  yellow  patches  of  cultivation  rescued  from 
the  apparently  endless  forest,  are  espied  in  dif- 
ferent directions,  each  surrounding  some  thriving 
village  in  the  interior,  whilst  the  opposite  banks 
of  the  river  are  fringed  with  Canadian  cottages, 
as  white  as  lime  and  brush  can  make  them ;  and 
the  intervening  and  majestic  waters  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  having  at  length  escaped  from  the 
turbulence  of  the  rapids,  are  seen  flowing  be- 
neath, as  calmly  and  as  silently,  as  when,  during 
the  darkness  of  a  night  more  than  seventy  years 
ago,  the  gallant  Wolfe  was  floated  on  the  retiring 
tide  to  his  victory  and  his  grave. 

Till  within  a  year  or  two,  the  stone  close  to 
which  he  breathed  his  last,  was  remaining  on 
the  field ;  but  the  proprietor,  a  person  of  infinite 
taste,  has  had  it  removed,  part  of  it  having  been 
used  for  the  purposes  of  the  builder,  while  other 

L  2 


148  SIX    MONTHS 

parts  of  it  are  constantly  undergoing  a  process 
of  subdivision  for  the  benefit  of  the  curious. 

A  plain,  but  very  elegant  stone  obelisk,  worth 
a  dozen  such  as  Washington's  monument  at 
Baltimore,  or  General  Brock's  at  Queen's  Town 
Heights,  had  been  lately  erected  to  the  memory 
of  Wolfe  and  Montcalm.  The  idea  of  paying 
this  late  tribute  to  the  memory  of  those  illustri- 
ous soldiers,  originated  with  Lord  Dalhousie. 
A  singularly  chaste  classical  inscription  from  the 
pen  of  Dr.  Fisher,  the  editor  of  the  Quebec 
Gazette,  will  be  engraved  in  front  of  the  monu- 
ment.    It  is  as  follows: 

WOLFE MONTCALM. 


Mortem.     Virtus.      Communem. 

Famam.     Historia. 

monumentum     posteritas. 

Dedit. 
A.  S.     1827. 


IN    AMERICA.  149 

A  longer  inscription  will  be  placed  on  the 
other  side  of  the  monument.  An  aged  nun  is 
now  living  in  the  Ursuline  convent  at  Quebec, 
who  remembers  having  held  a  taper  when  the 
remains  of  the  chivalrous  Frenchman  were  low- 
ered to  his  gTave  in  the  chapel  vault.  I  saw  a 
small  oval  slab  of  marble,  which  was  shortly  to 
be  fixed  in  the  wall  near  the  spot  where  he  is 
buried.  It  bore  the  following  inscription : — 
"  Honheur  a  Montcalm :  ledest  in  en  lui  dero- 
bant  la  victoire,  V  sl  recompense  par  une  mort 
glorieuse." 

Quebec  was  taken  from  the  French  in  the 
reign  of  Charles  I.,  130  years  before  the  death 
of  Wolfe,  but  being  thought  of  little  value,  was 
given  up  in  the  same  reign  to  Louis  XIII.,  by 
the  treaty  of  St.  Germain. 

At  Lorette  are  to  be  purchased  the  best 
Indian  moccassins,  and  other  leathern  curiosities, 
at  the  house  of  Mere  Paul.  The  three  Huron 
chiefs  who  visited   England  in   18*25,  and  who 


150  SIX    MONTHS 

were  introduced  in  the  first  circles  in  London, 
may  now  be  seen,  any  hot  day,  sober  or  intoxi- 
cated, just   as  it  may  happen,   sitting  perhaps 
in  the  dust,   before  the  doors   of  their  cottages. 
They  take  great  pleasure  in  showing  the  medals 
and  portraits  they  received  in  England,  and  the 
queen,  or  wife  of  the  principal  chief — a  short, 
dumpy,  masculine   woman — occasionally   comes 
to  Quebec  to  sell  moccassins,  and  has  no  abori- 
ginal antipathy   to   a  glass   of  gin.       She   con- 
stantly wears  in  her  bosom   (and  very  close  to 
it  too)    a  silver  medal,   presented   to  her  hus- 
band by  the  Lord  Mayor.     There  is  some  good 
woodcock   shooting     at    Lorette,     and    a    very 
pretty  waterfall, — the  foam  spreading  itself  over 
the  rocks,  so  as  to  resemble  the  finest  lacework. 
On  looking  up  the  course   of  the   St.  Law- 
rence, from  this  very  interesting  village,  a  wide 
opening  is  discerned  in  the  distant  bank,  once 
apparently  the  channel  of  the  river,    which  at 
some  time  as  is  supposed,  by  a  junction  with  the 


IN    AMERICA.  151 

mouth  of  the  river  St.  Charles,  made  an  island 
of  the  promontory  on  which  Quebec  now  stands. 

The  Canadian  cottages  are  in  general  ex- 
tremely neatj  the  windows,  in  particular,  being 
remarkably  clean;  and  occasionally  a  tall  pole 
or  flag  staif,  is  placed  in  front  of  one  of  them,  to 
indicate  the  residence  of  an  officer  of  militia. 

Of  the  falls  of  Montmorcnci,  I  will  only  re- 
mark, that  they  are  well  worth  the  ride,  or  the 
walk,  or  the  sail  to  them.  The  splendid  view  of 
Quebec,  the  river,  and  the  surrounding  country, 
that  is  enjoyed  from  the  ground  above  them  is  a 
sufficient  recompence ;  and  no  stranger  should 
leave  Quebec  without  paying  them  a  visit.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  falls  of  the  Chaudiere. 
They  are  in  fact  much  finer  than  those  of  Mont- 
morcnci, and  within  riding  distance. 

At  Chateau  Richer  there  is  one  of  the  best 
snipe  grounds  in  the  Canadas.  In  October  they 
may  be  shot  in  extraordinary  numbers,  but 
should  the  sportsman  be  disappointed  in  finding 


15*2  SIX   MONTHS 

his  game,  he  may  proceed  to  the  falls  of  St. 
Anne,  distant  twelve  miles.  I  mention  this, 
supposing  him  to  be  a  regular  water-fall  man. 
I  had  ceased  to  be  so  since  I  had  seen  Niagara. 
The  different  accounts  I  heard  of  Lake  Charles 
prevented  me  from  going  there.  Some  told  me 
it  was  full  of  cat-fish,  and  large  frogs,  which  eat 
the  little  ones  ;  others  called  it  a  beautiful  lake, 
and  that  good  trout-fishing  was  to  be  had  there. 
I  certainly  eat  some  small  ones,  which  had  been 
caught  there,  of  a  most  delicious  flavour. 

The  attractions  of  Jaques  Cartier,  twenty- 
seven  miles  from  Quebec,  were  not  to  be  so 
trifled  with.  This  is  the  finest  place  for  sal- 
mon fishing  in  the  Canadas,  and  a  very  pretty 
spot  into  the  bargain.  All  is  as  it  should  be ; 
there  is  a  small,  but  clean  and  comfortable 
country  inn  :  the  landlord  throws  a  fly  beauti- 
fully;  his  sister,  a  very  pretty  Canadian  girl, 
waits  at  table ;  and  the  mother  broils  the  sal- 
mon   a   merveille.      The    river,    at   all    times    a 


r/2 


^/. 


M 


P 


i 


IN    AMERICA.  153 

torrent,    and   now  very  much  swollen   by    two 
whole   days'  rain,  was  rushing  with  the  great- 
est   fury    through    the    narrow   channel    it   has 
worn   for  itself  through  the   solid  rock.      The 
bridge,   which  is   close    to    the   inn,   is   a  very 
neat  government  work.     Under    it   is   a   hole, 
forty    or    fifty  feet    in    depth;    and   when    the 
river    is    low    and    clear,   salmon  may  be   seen 
lying    there  in  great  numbers.      But   the   sea- 
son  was    too    far    advanced,    the    weather    too 
cold,   and  the  river  too  high ;    and    my  freind 
and   I,   seeing  that  we  could  not  expect  sport, 
returned,   having  killed  but  one  salmon  a-piece 
in  the    course  of  the  afternoon.     A  fine   open 
ledge  of  rocks  extends  along    the  side    of  the 
river,    affording    some    excellent     fishing     sta- 
tions.    The  place  is  named  after  Jaques  Car- 
tier,  who  first  sailed   up   the   St.   Lawrence   in 
1535,  and   founded  the  city  of  Montreal.     He 
is  said  to  have  wintered  there,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river  which   bears   his   name.      On    his  re- 


154  SIX    MONTHS 

turn  to  France,  he  was  of  course  coolly  re- 
ceived, as  he  brought  no  precious  metals.  He 
sailed  a  second  time,  with  orders  to  establish 
a  colony  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  but  having  had 
the  misfortune  to  quarrel  with  the  Indians,  he 
returned  to  his  native  country  to  die  of  a 
broken  heart. 

The  Canadian  peasantry  are  of  the  middle 
size,  or  under  it.  Although  they  breathe  some 
of  the  purest  air  in  America,  their  countenances 
are  worn,  and  unhealthy  in  appearance.  They 
may  be  said  to  be  smoke-dried,  being  seldom 
without  a  pipe  in  their  mouths,  and  in  winter 
they  shut  themselves  up  in  their  cottages,  and 
breathe  an  atmosphere  of  tobacco  fumes.  I  am 
not  of  course  speaking  of  the  athletic  progeny 
of  British  settlers,  when  I  affirm  that  a  tall, 
fine  hale-looking  man  is  rarely  to  be  met  with. 
Nevertheless,  the  French  Canadians  are  a 
brave,  hardy,  independent  race,  and  happier, 
I   should   imagine,   than    any  peasantry  in    the 


IN    AMERICA.  155 

world.  They  pay  no  taxes,  or  just  sufficient 
to  keep  the  roads  in  repair.  Most  of  them 
have  small  farms,  and  find  a  ready  market  for 
the  produce ;  and  those  who  have  no  land  of 
their  own,  can  easily  find  employment  with 
those  that  have.  They  never  give  away 
money,  but  are  exceedingly  hospitable  in  other 
respects ;  and  the  poor  Irish  emigrant,  who  is 
travelling  barefoot  and  pennyless  to  the  place 
of  his  destination,  is  sure  of  a  meal  at  any 
cottage  where  they  have  one  to  give.  There 
still  remains  much  of  the  French  naivete  in  their 
character,  and  at  a  few  miles  from  Quebec, 
they  know  and  care  as  little  about  the  pro- 
ceedings of  government,  as  the  Irish  peasant 
did,  and  does  now,  about  Catholic  emancipa- 
tion. Without  meaning  to  detract  from  the 
merit  of  their  charity,  it  may  be  remarked, 
that  there  is  something  like  a  spirit  of  conci- 
liation, if  not  of  apprehension,  mixed  up  with 
it,  for  they  are  afraid  that  the  "  Bas  de  soie" 


156  SIX    MONTHS 

as  tliey  call  tlie  stocking-less   Irish,   will   finally 

drive   them   and  their   descendants  from  house 
and  home. 


Tlie  population  of  Upper  Canada,  which  I 
did  not  visit  (my  time  being  occupied  in  the 
unexpected  voyage  on  the  Great  Lakes),  is 
about  250,000.  That  of  Low^er  Canada  may 
be  estimated  at  500,000 ;  but  the  amount  in 
both  provinces  is  rapidly  increasing.  Sixty 
thousand  emigrants  had  landed  at  Quebec  in 
1831,  before  the  river  was  frozen  up,  being 
more  than  double  the  number  that  arrived  in 
1830.  Many  of  them  brought  out  consider- 
able sums  of  money.  One  morning,  during  my 
stay  at  Quebec,  an  old  Scotchman,  who  had 
lived  about  fourteen  years  in  the  Canadas,  re- 
turned from  Scotland  with  ninety  of  his  coun- 
trymen, whom  he  had  persuaded  to  follow  him : 
he  himself  bringing  with  him  several  thousand 
pounds,    and    the    others   possessing    one,    two. 


IN    AMERICA.  157 

or  three  hundred  pounds  a-piece.  Two  thou- 
sand of  the  emigrants  that  arrived  in  Upper 
Canada,  were  small  farmers  from  the  North 
of  England. 

The  soil  of  Upper  Canada  is  as  productive  as 
any  in  the  world,  so  that  the  emigrant  has  no 
occasion  to  pass  into  the  United  States,  in  order 
to  obtain  a  better,  unless  he  proceed  to  parti- 
cular spots  where  he  would  be  liable  to  catch  a 
fever  and  ague,  and  where  the  excessive  heats 
together  with  the  moisture  and  richness  of  the 
soil,  render  it  so  hastily  prolific,  that  it  is  often  a 
matter  of  great  uncertainty  whether  a  crop  will 
arrive  at  perfection.  The  strong  natural  preju- 
dice in  favour  of  the  British  flag;  the  fact  that 
tbe  British  manufactures  can  be  purchased  after 
payment  of  a  very  trifling  duty  of  two  per  cent., 
whereas  they  must  have  paid  an  average  duty  of 
30  per  cent.,  if  coming  via  the  United  S  tates : 
that  lands  of  equal  fertility,  and  possessing  equal 
advantages  of  situation,  are  sold  at  one  half  the 


158  SIX    MONTHS 

price  that  is  paid  in  the  United  States :  that  the 
climate  of  the  Canadas  is  most  decidedly  the 
healthier  of  the  two;  are  additional  and  sub- 
stantial inducements  to  a  permanent  residence 
in  the  British  colonies.  Good  land  in  the  best 
situations  is  sold  by  the  Canada  land  company  at 
from  10s.  to  15s.  the  acre:  their  sales  for  the  year 
1831,  having  amounted  to  100,000  acres  at  an 
average  price  of  10s.  per  acre.  One-seventh  of 
the  lands  in  every  township  in  the  United  States 
is  reserved  for  the  payment  of  the  clergy;  and 
the  agent  for  the  clergy  reserves,  is  authorized 
to  sell  100,000  acres  a  year  at  15s.  an  acre. 

The  nature  of  uncleared  land  is  known  by  the 
timber  which  grows  upon  it.  Where  a  great 
variety  of  timber  abounds,  the  soil  is  generally  a 
black  loam.  A  clayey  soil  is  known  by  the 
great  proportion  of  firs  intermixed  with  other 
trees,  but  when  they  grow  alone,  it  is  found  that 
sand  usually  predominates.  This  is  also  the 
case  where  there  are  none  but  oaks  and  chestnut 


IN    AMERICA.  159 

trees.     Potatoes  and  turnips  succeed  better  than 
any  other  crop  on  newly  cleared  land. 

Both  in  the  United  States,  and  the  Canadas, 
great  quantities  of  sugar  are  made  from  the 
maple  tree.  The  molasses  are  an  excellent 
substitute  for  sweatmeats.  In  the  month  of 
March,  a  notch  is  cut  in  the  tree,  and  a  small 
pipe  of  wood  is  fastened  into  it,  through  which 
the  sap  runs  into  a  wooden  trough  that  is  placed 
to  receive  it,  and  in  this  manner  from  five  to 
seven  pounds'  weight  of  sugar  may  be  obtained 
annually  from  one  tree.  The  process  of  boiling 
and  preparing  the  sugar  takes  place  in  the  forest. 

The  agents  of  the  Canada  Land  Company,  on 
the  arrival  of  emigrants  at  Quebec  or  Montreal, 
for  the  season  of  183*2,  undertake  to  convey  them 
free  of  expense  to  York  or  the  head  of  Lake 
Ontario,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  choicest  lands, 
provided  the  emigrants  pay  a  first  instalment  in 
London,  Quebec,  or  Montreal,  or  two  shillings 
an  acre  upon  not  less  than  one  hundred  acres : 


160  SIX    MONTHS 

and  the  Company's  agents  in  all  parts   of  the 
Upper  Province,  will  give  such  emigrants  every 
information    and     assistance     in     their    power. 
Should  emigrants  on   their  arrivaKat  York  not 
settle  on  the  Company's  lands,  the  money  paid 
by  them  will  be  returned,  deducting  the  actual 
expense  of  conveyance.    At  York  there  are  large 
buildings  expressly  appropriated  to  the  reception 
of  emigrant  families  previously  to  their  finding 
employment ;  and  both  the  government  and  the 
Canada  Land  Company  have  waggons  drawn  up 
on  the  wharfs,  in  order  to  convey  them  and  their 
baggage  from  the  place  of  landing. 

I  cannot  add  any  thing  new  to  the  particulars 
given  in  the  printed  papers  relating  to  emigra- 
tion, which  are  issued  both  by  government  and 
the  Canada  Land  Company;  to  say  nothing  of 
the  "  Wiltshire  Letters,"  or  the  "Hints  to  Emi- 
grants," published  at  Quebec.  These  may  all  be 
purchased  for  a  few  pence,  and  the  information 
they  contain  is,  of  course,  derived  from  the  best 


IN    AMERICA.  IGl 

sources.  Their  instructions  and  advice  on  tlie 
subject  of  imposition,  which  might  be  practised 
upon  emigrants  at  their  first  arrival,  \\dll  be 
found  most  useful. 

Wheat  at  the  Canadas,  according  to  the  dis- 
tance from  the  place  of  export,  varies  from  2s.  to 
55.  6d.  the  bushel;  beef  (winter)  2^<f.  the  pound, 
(summer)  3^^.  to  4d. ;  mutton  in  the  winter  is 
2^d.  the  pound,  in  summer  it  is  a  little  dearer; 
potatoes  are  from  Is.  to  2^.  the  bushel ;  a  goose 
or  a  turkey  may  be  purchased  for  2s.  or  25.  6f/., 
and  a  couple  of  fowls  for  Is.  or  Is.  6d.  Ship- 
carpenters  can  earn  from  55.  to  75.  a-day ;  la- 
bourers 25.  6d.  to  45.  a-day ;  handicraft  trades- 
men from  55.  to  7s.  6d.  a-day ;  house-servants 
receive  from  265.  to  365.  a-month,  w^th  food; 
females  from  155.  to  305.  a-month,  with  food. 
In  Quebec  and  Montreal,  excellent  board  and 
lodging  may  be  obtained  in  the  principal  hotels 
and  boarding-houses  at  205.  to  305.  a-week.  A 
labourer  or  mechanic  would  pay  75.  to  95.  6d, 

VOL.    II.  M 


162  SIX    MONTHS 

a-week,  for  wliicli  lie  will  get  tea  or  coffee,  with 
meat  for  breakfast,  a  good  dinner,  and  supper 
at  night.     An  excellent  private  dwelling-house 
may  be  rented  at  from  100/.  to  150Z.  a-year  mi- 
furnished;  shops  according  to  their  situation  at 
from  30Z.  to  lOOZ.     A  farm  of  100  acres  with  20 
or  30  acres  clear,  with  a  dwelling  house,  may  be 
purchased   in   the    Canadas  for    150/.    to   300/. 
according  to  the  situation.     There  are,  I  believe, 
few  persons  who  would  not  allow  that  emigration 
should  be  encouraged,  at  all  events  as  a  tem- 
porary remedy,  and  the  rage  for  building  dis- 
couraged, provided  it  can  be  done  by  just  and 
legitimate  means.    The  British  government  have 
an    emigrant   agent  at  Quebec ;    it  encourages 
emigration,  and  finds  co-operation  and  assistance 
in  the  Canada  Land   Company  and  the  Emi- 
grant's Hospital  at  Quebec.     Yet  if  the  timber 
trade  in  the  Canadas  were  suddenly  destroyed 
by  the  measures  which  are  said  to  be  in  con- 
templation,  the   immediate    consequence  would 


IN    AMERICA.  163 

be,  that  the  efforts  of  government  in  regard  to 
one  object  would  be  neutralized  by  its  own 
acts  with  reference  to  another.  At  present, 
there  are  from  sLx  hundred  to  eight  hundred 
ships  employed  every  summer  in  the  timber 
trade.  They  sometimes  carry  out  a  cargo  of 
coals,  or  salt,  both  paying  a  very  insignificant 
freight  (coals  sell  in  Quebec  at  26s.  the  chaldron) 
or  more  usually  go  out  as  it  is  termed  in 
ballast,  and  thus  afford  facilities  of  emigration 
at  an  exceedingly  cheap  rate,  to  thousands 
whose  absence  from  Great  Britain  is  an  ad- 
vantage to  both  countries,  as  far  as  population 
is  concerned;  and  who  otherwise  benefit  the 
mother  country  by  affording  an  additional 
market  for  her  cotton  and  other  manufactures, 
which  they  soon  find  the  means  of  purchasing. 
In  destroying  the  Canada  timber  ti'ade  by  a 
sudden  increase  of  duties,  she  is  depriving 
herself  of  all  these  advantages.  She  would 
bring  sudden   ruin   upon   a    numerous   class  of 

M  2 


164  SIX    MONTHS 

individuals  who  have  large  capitals  invested  in 
saw  mills,  and  other  buildings  connected  with 
the  trade ;  she  would  deprive  thousands  of  the 
means  of  buying  and  selling  land ;  a  number 
of  ships  would  be  thrown  out  of  employment ; 
emigration  would  be  stopped,  or  at  least  greatly 
impeded  for  want  of  the  facilities  which  are  now 
given ;  England  would  not  gain  in  the  affec- 
tions of  the  Canadas ;  she  w^ould  lose  a  rapidly 
increasing  market,  and  the  benefit  of  a  fine 
race  of  British  peasantry,  who  would  be  ever 
ready  to  fight  in  defence  of  their  newly  adopted 
country. 

The  timber  is  cut  in  the  winter,  before  the 
sap  rises.  Suppose  then  that  the  new  duties 
were  imposed,  that  the  trade  had  consequently 
ceased,  and  that  next  year  a  war,  by  which  the 
Baltic  would  be  closed,  should  break  out  about 
the  month  of  March,  no  timber  would  have  been 
cut  and  prepared  in  the  Canadas,  and  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  Great  Britain  would  be  obliged 


IN    AMERICA.  165 

either  to  purchase  inferior  timber,  cut  in  the 
summer,  and  prepared  at  a  great  additional 
expense,  or  remain  without  a  supply  of  timber 
for  sixteen  months.  It  is  said,  and  with  truth, 
that  clearing,  for  the  sake  of  the  timber  only, 
rather  impedes  than  assists  the  progress  of  culti- 
vation,— a  few  trees  only  being  selected  on  a 
given  space,  which  are  squared  on  the  spot, 
while  the  lumber  and  branches  are  left  to  pre- 
sent additional  difficulty  to  the  farmer  by  becom- 
ing entangled  in  the  underwood ;  and  it  has  been 
also  remarked,  that  the  annihilation  of  the  trade 
would  benefit  the  Canadas,  by  augmenting  the 
capital  and  labour  that  is  annually  expended 
in  agricultural  purposes,  and  that  the  additional 
quantity  of  exported  wheat,  would  soon  make 
amends  for  their  temporary  loss :  but  it  should 
also  be  considered,  that  the  white -pine,  which 
forms  much  the  largest  proportion  of  the  timber 
exported  from  the  Canadas,  is  in  many  places 
found  on  a  rocky  and  sandy  soil,   which  is  not 


166  SIX    MONTHS 

available  for  the  purposes  of  cultivation,  and 
moreover  that  the  quantity  of  wheat  exported,  is 
already  increasing  with  the  tide  of  emigration 
to  an  incalculable  amount. 

In  a  mercantile  and  political  view,  it  would 
be  better  that  the  Canada  timber  trade  should  not 
be  interfered  with ;  but  if  any  increase  of  the 
duties  be  resolved  upon,  it  should  certainly  be 
gradual.  One  reason  why  the  Canada  timber 
is  not  so  much  liked  as  that  which  comes  from 
the  Baltic,  is,  that  it  is  not  so  well  squared  and 
finished  off  for  the  market.  In  the  first  year, 
a  gradual  increase  of  duties  might  remedy  this 
defect,  by  encouraging  competition,  while  at 
the  same  time  both  the  British  government,  and 
the  Canadian  capitalist,  would  be  enabled  to  see 
their  way  more  clearly. 

A  great  proportion  of  the  lands  in  Lower 
Canada  is  divided  into  seignories,  which  were 
originally  granted  by  the  French  crown,  under 
the  feudal  tenure.    No  seignory  has  been  created 


IN    AMERICA.  167 

since  the  conquest  in  1759:  but  when  crown 
lands  have  been  disposed  of,  they  have  been 
granted  in  what  is  termed  free  and  common 
soccage,  and  laid  out  like  the  old  seignories, 
of  which  there  are  about  two  hundred,  in  a 
direction  of  N.N.  W.  by  E.S.E.,  nearly  at  right 
angles  with  the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 
The  seignor  then  made  grants  or  "  concessions" 
to  his  under  tenants,  which  by  the  old  French 
custom  were  thirty  acres  in  length,  by  three, 
fronting  the  river.  This  measurement,  however, 
is  now  often  departed  from.  The  seignor  re- 
ceives from  his  tenants  an  annual  rent  of  a  very 
trifling  amount,  which  is  not  redeemable :  he  is, 
also,  entitled  to  a  mutation  fine,  called  "  lods  et 
vents,"  being  one-twelfth  part  of  the  money 
paid  by  the  purchaser  of  land  within  the  seig- 
nory.  The  old  French  law  compels  the  tenants 
to  bring  their  wheat  to  be  ground  at  the  seignor's 
mill.  This  custom  has  been  sometimes  objected 
to,  but  no  complaint  can  be  reasonably  made  on 


168  SIX    MONTHS 

the  score  of  its  being  an  injury  to  the  farmer. 
It  imposes  no  burden,  because  he  can  have  his 
wheat  ground  at  his  own  door,  and  if  the  seig- 
nor's  mill  does  not  perform  the  work  properly, 
he  may  take  it  to  another. 

In  the  Canadas,  the  civil  and  criminal  laws  of 
England  are  in  force  generally,  subject  to  pro- 
vincial alterations.  The  old  French  law,  which 
was  in  existence  previously  to  the  year  1663,  is 
still  the  law  of  property,  with  some  exceptions, 
in  Lower  Canada.  None  of  the  laws  enacted  in 
France  since  that  period,  extended  to  the  colony 
unless  enregistered  there.  This  is  the  reason 
why  the  ordinance  of  1673,  for  the  better  regu- 
lation of  trade,  is  not  in  force.  The  criminal  laws 
of  England  were  transplanted  into  the  colonies, 
by  1 4  Geo.  iii.  c.  83,  and,  of  course,  none  passed 
since  that  period  can  become  law  in  the  Canadas, 
unless  they  are  particularly  specified  and  in- 
cluded in  their  provisions.  Properly  speaking, 
the  Canadas  have  no  commercial  code.     Great 


IN    AMERICA.  169 

confusion  sometimes  arises  respecting  tlie  deci- 
sions according  to  the  English  custom  of  mer- 
chants, and  those  made  under  the  old  French 
code,  and  actions  at  law  are  frequently  settled 
according  to  what  appears  to  be  the  principle 
of  natural  justice,  rather  than  according  to  esta- 
blished precedent.  This  surely  conveys  a  re- 
flection upon  the  wisdom  of  the  provincial 
legislature;  but  the  fact  is,  that  the  mercantile 
community  is  not  sufficiently  represented  in  the 
house  of  assembly  for  Lower  Canada. 

Lower  Canada  is  divided  into  three  judicial 
districts — of  Quebec,  the  Three  Rivers,  and  Mon- 
treal, the  boundary  line  being  drawn  nearly  at 
right  angles  with  the  St.  LawTence. 

There  are  but  three  coiu*ts  of  justice — the 
Court  of  Appeal,  the  King's  Bench,  and  the 
Summary  Court.  The  governor  sometimes  sits 
as  president  of  the  Court  of  Appeal;  but  the 
chair  is  more  often  filled  by  one  of  the  chief 
justices.  The  court  is  formed  by  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  executive  council. 


170  SIX    MONTHS 

The  Court  of  King's  Bench  is  divided  into 
a  superior  and  inferior   court.     The  latter  has 
jurisdiction  only  where  the  matter  in  dispute  is 
of  the  value  of  ten  pounds  or  under.     There  are 
a  chief  justice  and  three  puisne  judges  at  Que- 
bec; the  same  at  Montreal,  and  a  district  judge 
at  the  Three  Rivers.     When  the  superior  court 
is  held  at  this  latter  place,  it  is  held  by  one  of 
the  chief  justices,  two  puisne  judges,   and  the 
district  judge.     The  summary  courts  have  juris- 
diction over  property  to  the  value  of  one  hundred 
francs,    and   are  held  once   a   month   before  a 
commissioner  appointed  by  the  provincial  govern- 
ment, on  petition  from  the  country  inhabitants. 
Quarter  sessions  are  held  regularly  before  three 
magistrates,  with  much  the   same  power  as  in 
England,  for  the  punishment  of  offences  against 
the  criminal  law ;  and  petty  civil  cases  may  be 
disposed  of  daily  by  one  or  more  magistrates. 
A  magistrate  is  required  to  have  property  of  the 
real  actual  value  of  300/.,  and  the   oaths  upon 
taking  office  are  very  strict. 


IN    AMERICA.  171 

A  barrister  may  act  as  an  attorney  and  soli- 
citor at  the  same  time, — which,  as  in  the  United 
States,  appears  to  have  originated  in  the  impos- 
sibility of  making  the  profession  pay,  without 
such  an  arrangement.  Pleadings  may  be  written 
in  either  language,  and  English  and  Canadian 
French  are  spoken  almost  indiscriminately  in 
the  courts.  I  have  observed  great  and  unavoid- 
able confusion  in  the  inferior  court  of  Kind's 
Bench — the  judges,  counsel,  solicitors,  clients, 
and  witnesses  all  talking  occasionally  at  the 
same  time  in  either  language,  just  as  it  may 
happen ;  and  in  the  midst  of  the  uproar,  the 
Stentorian  voice  of  the  officer  of  the  court  may 
be  heard  as  he  endeavours  to  restore  tranquil- 
lity by  calling  out  Silence !  (English),  Silence  ! 
(French),  in  quick  succession.  But  the  pro- 
ceedings in  the  superior  court  are  conducted 
with  all  the  decorum  of  an  English  court  of  jus- 
tice ;  and  the  old  jealous  British  lion,  painted  in 
the  king's  arms  over  the  heads  of  the  judges. 


172  SIX    MONTHS 

frowns  grimly  upon  the  scene,  with  a  pair  of 
eyebrows  sufficient  to  inspire  even  ermined  dig- 
nity itself  with  awe  and  veneration.  Many  of 
the  powers  belonging  to  a  court  of  equity,  are 
exercised  by  the  court  of  King's  Bench  under 
the  old  French  law.  It  grants  injunctions  by 
a  process  termed  a  sequestre.  It  takes  care  of 
the  property  of  minors,  and  appoints  curators  of 
the  persons  and  property  of  lunatics.  Tlie  law 
of  entail  by  a  limitation,  called  a  "  substitution 
fidei  commissaire,"  is  well  kno^\^l  in  Lower 
Canada,  but  seldom  acted  upon. 

The  attention  of  the  legislature  has  of  late 
been  called  to  the  state  of  the  law  of  dower  and 
mortgage,  both  of  which  are  often  productive  of 
great  confusion  and  actual  injustice.  Supposing 
there  has  been  no  renunciation  of  her  dower  by 
the  marriage  contract,  the  wife  upon  her  mar- 
riage is  entitled  to  a  dower  of  one-half  of  the 
estate  of  inheritance  then  in  the  possession  of 
her  husband ;  and  this  dower  is  of  itself  an  estate 


IN    AMERICA.  173 

of  inheritance  wliicli  descends  to  her  children, 
supposing  they  take  nothing  by  the  "  commu- 
nautc,"  an   arrangement  by  which  the  wife  is 
entitled  to  one-half  of  all  property  real  and  per- 
sonal,  acquired  subsequently  to   the    marriage. 
A  communaute  may  exist  with  a  settlement  or 
without  one,  as  in  the  case  I  have  proposed.     At 
the  death   of  the  wnfe  in  the  life  time  of  the 
husband  or  vice  versa,  the  law  permits  the  chil- 
dren to  elect — between  one-half  of  the  property 
in  communaute  to  be  enjoyed  immediately,  and 
the    real  estate   which  would  have  formed  the 
dower  of  the  wife  had  she  sur\dved  her  husband, 
which  is  not  to  be   divided  amongst  them  till 
after   the    death    of  the    surviving   parent.      It 
sometimes  happens  that  the  husband  and  wife 
have  joined  in  the  sale  of  the  estate,   perhaps 
for  the  present  benefit  of  the  children,  and  with 
their  knowledge.     This  sale,    however,   cannot 
deprive  the  children  of  their  estate  of  inheritance 
in  the  dower  after  the  decease  of  the  wife,  and 


174  SIX    MONTHS 

although  it  is  justly  reckoned  disgraceful  for  the 
children  to  claim  the  estate  from  a  purchaser 
under  such  circumstances,  yet  it  is  sometimes 
done  in  cases  where  there  was  nothing  left  to  be 
divided  in  communaute.  A  gentleman  informed 
me  that  such  an  instance  had  occurred  to  himself. 
He  had  purchased  an  estate,  and  had  been  in 
possession  about  twenty  years.  It  had  been  sold 
by  the  husband  and  wife  upwards  of  forty  years; 
but  they  were  both  still  living,  and  he  was  much 
surprised  one  day  at  being  informed  by  the 
children,  that  at  the  decease  of  their  mother, 
they  intended  to  come  upon  him  for  the  amount 
of  the  dower,  as  there  was  no  prospect  of  re- 
ceiving any  thing  by  the  communaute. 

Till  lately,  under  the  then  existing  law  of 
mortgage,  a  purchaser  could  seldom  be  sure  of 
buying  an  unincumbered  estate;  a  previous  pos- 
sessor in  want  of  money  might  have  been  before 
a  notary  and  have  borrowed  of  a  dozen  different 
persons,  on  what  is  called  a  tacit  mortgage.     No 


IN    AMERICA.  175 

title  deeds  were  required  by  the  lender,  but  all 
the  property  of  the  borrower  is  liable  for  the 
amount  borrowed;  and  claims  of  this  kind  were 
constantly  made  upon  estates  even  after  the  pos- 
sessor, who  had  taken  all  pains  to  clear  them  oif, 
had  reason  to  think  himself  secure  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  them.  But  by  a  bill  that  passed  the 
legislature  in  I8285  newly  purchased  property 
is  cleared  against  creditors  who  do  not  put  in 
their  claims  within  four  months,  the  rights  of 
widows  and  minors  forming  an  exception. 

No  writ  can  issue  to  secure  the  person  of  a 
debtor  in  the  common  gaol  until  all  his  property 
real  and  personal  has  been  sold,  the  real  property 
havina:  been  advertised  in  the  Gazette  for  four 
months.  At  the  expiration  of  that  period,  at- 
tempts are  sometimes  made  by  a  fraudulent  debtor 
or  his  friends,  to  evade  imprisonment  by  a  pur- 
chase in  the  debtor's  name  of  real  property  to  a 
trifling  amount,  which  must  be  again  advertised, 
and  so   on;   although   of  coiu-se  wherever  the 


176  SIX    MONTHS 

attempt  to  defraud  can  be  made  apparent,  the 
courts  of  justice  will  interfere.  In  cases  of  a 
commercial  nature  where  a  judgment  has  been 
obtained,  the  debtor  has  the  right  of  being  en- 
larged, upon  giving  security  that  he  will  not 
leave  the  limits  of  the  city. 

In  general,  the  Canadian  farmers  when  old 
and  unable  to  work,  make  over  their  property 
by  a  notarial  writing  to  one  of  their  sons,  on 
condition  of  his  parang  a  certain  sum  of  money 
to  his  other  children;  a  custom  which  has  the 
effect  of  preventing  too  great  a  division  of  real 
property.  In  the  deed,  which  is  rather  curious, 
it  is  stipulated  that  the  old  man  is  to  be  sup- 
ported by  his  son ;  that  he  is  to  receive  from  him 
a  certain  quantity  of  tea,  sugar,  and  tobacco ; 
he  is  to  be  furnished  if  necessary  with  a  horse 
to  ride  to  chapel  on  Sundays  and  festivals ;  and 
when  dead  a  certain  number  of  masses  are  to  be 
said  for  his  soul. 

The  governor  of  Lower  Canada  is  assisted  by 


IN    AMERICA.  177 

an  executive  council,  composed  of  any  persons 
whom  lie  chooses  to  recommend  to  his  majesty 
for  appointment.  The  legislative  council,  of 
which  the  members  are  also  appointed  by  the 
king  for  life,  and  the  Lower  House,  or  House 
of  Assembly,  consisting  at  present  of  eighty- 
four  members.  The  Chief  Justice  is  the 
Speaker ;  and  the  puisne  judges  of  Quebec 
are  members  of  the  Legislative  Council;  but 
it  is  in  contemplation  to  procure  an  act  of 
Parliament  to  remedy  this  unconstitutional  ar- 
rangement. Independently  of  the  objection 
that  could  be  urged  against  it  as  an  abuse, 
the  judges  find  ample  employment  for  their 
time  in  their  other  avocations.  They  were 
placed  there  as  a  matter  of  course  when  the 
colony  was  in  its  infancy ;  but  the  reasons  have 
ceased  as  the  colony  has  increased  in  wealth 
and  population.  The  Legislative  Council  is 
composed  of  the  principal  officers  of  the  pro- 
vince, and  other  persons  of  consideration.    Their 

VOL.   II.  N 


178  SIX    MONTHS 

number  is  unlimited,  but  is  usually  about  thirty. 
The  members  of  the   House   of  Assembly  are 
elected  in  the  same  manner  as  the  members  of 
the  House  of  Commons  in  England.     Quebec 
and  Montreal  return  four  members  each.    There 
are  but  two  boroughs ;  William  Henry  or  Sorel 
returning  one  member,  and  the  "  Three  Rivers" 
returning  two  members.     The    other  members 
are  returned  by  counties,   but  no  qualification 
whatever  is  required  of  any.     This  is  an  ad- 
vantage  in  a  young  country,  where  society  is 
comparatively   small,    and    wealth    is    so    often 
separated  from  talent.     The  qualification  neces- 
sary for  a  voter  is  real  property  to  the  annual 
value  of  forty  shillings.     In  the  towns  the  pay- 
ment  of  ten   pounds  a-year  rent  is  suflScient, 
and  single  women  are  allowed  to  vote.     The 
sittings    of   the    Legislative    Council,    and    the 
House    of  Assembly,    do    not    usually   occupy 
more  than  ten  weeks  in  the  year,  commencing 
about  the  middle  of  January. 


IN    AMERICA.  179 

By  far  the  larger  proportion  of  the  House  of 
Assembly  are  of  the  radical  persuasion.  Like 
the  rest  of  the  old  French  Canadians,  they  have 
a  strong  negative  attachment  to  the  British 
government :  because  they  are  satisfied  with  the 
protection  they  enjoy,  and  are  aware  that  they 
could  not  exist  without  it;  but  their  proceed- 
ings evince  little  actual  gratitude  or  afiection 
for  the  mother  country.  Their  grievances, 
whether  they  are  those  that  really  do  exist,  or 
those  that  are  to  be  traced  in  the  imaginary 
discontents  of  a  few  leading  demagogues,  being 
frequently  discussed  with  more  than  constitu- 
tional jealousy,  and  with  more  petulant  vehe- 
mence than  is  merited  by  the  redressing  and 
conciliatory  spirit  of  the  British  government. 
And  yet  when  we  consider  the  events  that  are 
passing  in  Europe,  it  is  not  singular  that  such 
should  be  the  conduct  of  a  people,  of  whom 
it  is  said,  that  when  a  constitution  was  first 
talked  of,  they  would  have  preferred  that  their 

n2 


180  SIX    MONTHS 

country  should  have  continued  under  the  di- 
rection of  a  governor  and  council,  or  rather 
under  that  of  a  governor  alone. 

During  the  last  session  a  bill  passed  the 
house  of  assembly,  for  an  allowance  to  the 
members  of  IO5.  a-day,  beside  their  travelling 
expenses,  but  was  rejected  by  the  legislative 
council.  Nevertheless  when  the  Supply  Bill 
came  under  consideration,  the  house  of  assem- 
bly tacked  on  the  desired  amount  for  the  pay- 
ment of  their  members,  and  the  bill  in  that  state 
was  most  inconsistently  consented  to  by  the 
legislative  council. 

Another  instance  of  unconstitutional  irregu- 
larity may  be  mentioned.  The  31st  of  Geo.  iii., 
c.  31,  declares  who  shall  be  qualified  to  sit  as 
members  of  the  assembly,  but  it  creates  no  dis- 
qualification to  sit  and  vote  in  persons  accept- 
ing offices  of  trust  and  profit,  after  their  election. 
By  this  act  also,  no  bill  reserved  by  the  governor 
for  the  royal  signature  shall  have  any  force  or 


IN    AMERICA.  181 

authority    within    either    province,    unless    his 
majesty's  assent  thereto  shall  be  signified  within 
the  space  of  two  years  from  the  day  on  which 
the  bill  shall  have  been  presented  for  his  ma- 
jesty's assent  by  the  governor.     In  the  year  1830, 
after  various  proceedings  in  the  same  matter,  a 
bill  for  the  disqualification  of  persons  accepting 
government  offices,  until  re-elected,  from  sitting 
in  the  legislative  assembly,  was  passed  by  both 
houses,  and  the  governor  thought  it  of  sufficient 
importance   to  reserve  it  for   the  royal  assent. 
Two  years,  as  we  have  seen,  is  allowed  for  the 
signification  of  his  majesty's  pleasure,  and  if  no 
answer  is  given  in  that  time,  the  bill  passes  into 
a  law  forthwith.     The  bill  was  sent  to  England, 
and  long  before  the  time  had  expired,   the  im- 
patient house  of  assembly  entered  a  resolution 
on   their  journals,   that  any  member  accepting 
an  office  under  government  shall  be  considered 
as  vacating  his  seat  ipso  facto,  with  the  capability 
of  being  re-elected.      As  to  the  justice  of  the 


182  SIX    MONTHS 

case,  there  can  be  no  doubt;  but  when  they 
themselves  had  commenced  the  application  in  a 
constitutional  manner,  their  subsequent  attempt 
to  fly  in  the  face  of  the  prerogative  does  not 
reflect  much  credit  on  their  loyalty. 

The  net  revenue  of  Lower  Canada  for  the 
year  1830,  was  128,345/.  35.  4^.,  being  an  in- 
crease of  5200/.  over  the  preceding  year.  The 
bulk  of  this  sum  is  at  the  disposal  of  the  pro- 
vincial legislature ;  and  is  expended  in  the  coun- 
try on  internal  improvements  of  every  kind.  The 
proposed  civil  list  for  the  year  1831  amounted  to 
19,500/. ;  but  14,000/.  of  this  is  all  that  is  asked 
of  the  province  by  the  royal  message,  besides 
a  reservation  by  virtue  of  the  prerogative,  of 
what  are  termed  the  casual  and  territorial  re- 
venues of  the  crown,  such  as  the  rents  of  the 
Jesuits'  estates,  rents  of  the  king's  posts,  &c.  &c., 
which,  to  use  the  words  of  the  governor's  mes- 
sage, of  the  23d  of  February,  1831,  can  operate 
in  no  degree  as  a  tax  upon  the  people,   or  tend 


IN    AMERICA.  183 

either  in  their  nature,  or  in  the  mode  of  their 
collection,  to  impede  or  impair  the  prosperity  of 
the  province.  But  nevertheless  the  committee 
of  the  house  of  assembly  have  resolved  never  to 
compromise  what  they  call  the  natural  and  con- 
stitutional right  of  watching  over  and  controlling 
the  receipt  and  expenditure  of  the  whole  revenue. 
Will  they  object  when  the  remuneration  of  their 
clergy  is  thrown  upon  them,  as  is  contemplated 
by  the  British  government? 

It  would  be  tedious,  and  far  beyond  the 
limits  of  this  work,  to  enter  into  a  detail  of  all 
the  grievances  complained  of  by  the  house  of 
assembly ;  many  of  them  have  been,  or  are  in 
the  way  of  being,  remedied,  and  they  may  be 
found  in  the  report  of  the  committee  of  the 
house  of  commons  on  the  affairs  of  the  Canadas, 
in  1827.  They  complain  in  their  petition  to 
parliament  that  the  affairs  of  the  province  were 
growing  worse  under  the  existing  government ; 
that  the  value  of  land  was  diminished ;  that  there 


184  SIX    MONTHS 

was  a  waste  of  the  public  revenue;  that  the 
enactment  of  beneficial  laws  was  rejected  by- 
one  branch  of  the  legislature  composed  of 
persons  dependent  on  the  government ;  that  the 
creditor  of  the  government  had  not  sufficient 
remedy;  that  sufficient  security  was  not  required 
of  persons  having  the  disposal  of  the  public 
moneys ;  that  the  independence  of  the  judges 
was  not  sufficiently  consulted;  and  they  asked 
for  the  appointment  of  a  resident  agent  for 
the  colonies,  in  England,  &c.  &c. 

One  of  the  schemes  at  present  in  agitation 
in  the  house  of  assembly  is  the  entire  dissolution 
of  the  legislative  council ;  a  measure  which  that 
more  loyal  body  do  not  exactly  relish,  and  on 
the  31st  of  March,  1831,  they  passed  a  number 
of  resolutions  expressive  of  their  loyalty,  and 
respectfully  setting  forth  their  grievances  at  the 
same  time.  In  the  report  of  a  special  com- 
mittee of  the  house  of  assembly  appointed  for 
taking  into  consideration  the  governor's  message, 


IN    AMERICA.  185 

ill  wliicli  his  majesty,  relying  on  the  liberality 
and  justice  of  the  legislature  of  Lower  Canada, 
invites  them  to  consider  the  propriety  of  making 
some  settled  provision  for  such  portion  of  the 
civil  government  of  the  province,  as  may  upon 
examination  appear  to  require  an  arrangement 
of  a  more  permanent  nature  than  those  supplies 
which  it  belongs  to  the  legislature  to  determine 
by  annual  votes ;  it  was  resolved,  that  as  infor- 
mation relative  to  the  expenditure  of  the  sum 
demanded  for  casual  expenses,  and  divers  ser- 
vices, and  of  the  manner  in  which  the  rents  of 
the  Jesuits'  estates,  and  the  other  casual  and 
territorial  revenues,  are  applied,  was  still  refused 
by  the  British  government ;  they  had  therefore 
deemed  it  inexpedient  to  make  "  aucune  alloca- 
tion permanente  ulterieure  pour  les  depenses 
du  gouvernement ;" — the  legislative  council,  in 
their  resolutions  noticed  above,  having  expressed 
a  cordial  disposition  to  concur  with  his  majesty's 
government  in  making  such  an  arrangement. 


186  SIX    MONTHS 

The  Jesuits'  estates,  the  convent,  and  the 
seminary,  hold  the  city  of  Quebec  in  signory. 
The  convent  of  the   Jesuits  is  now  converted 

into  a  barrack,  and  forms  one  side  of  the 
market-place  in  the  upper  tov/n.  By  the  way, 
I  should  recommend  any  traveller  to  visit  the 
market-place  in  the  lower  town,  where  he  will 
see  some  of  the  old  French  Canadians,  with 
their  long  pig- tails  tied  up  with  eel-skins. 
The  order  of  the  Jesuits  was  suppressed  at 
the  conquest  of  the  colony  by  the  British. 
Government  took  possession  of  the  estates  be- 
longing to  them,  and  has  since  enjoyed  the 
whole  revenue,  amounting  to  about  2500/. 
per  annum;  and  though  frequently  applied  to 
by  the  provincial  legislature,  has  thought  fit 
to  conceal  the  manner  in  which  it  has  been 
employed.  Amongst  other  expenses,  those 
incurred  in  the  building  the  episcopal  church, 
were,  it  is  said,  defrayed  from  this  source. 

Before  I  quitted  Quebec,  I  was  present  at 
a  ball,  given  by  a  lady  and  gentleman  who  had 


IN    AMERICA.  187 

been  united  for  the  first  time  that  day  fifty 
years,  and  were  again  married  on  that  morning 
by  a  Catholic  priest. 


I  returned  from  Quebec  to  Montreal  by  the 
John  Bull  steam-boat,  probably  the  largest 
river  boat  in  the  world.  Montreal  is  consi- 
derably larger  than  Quebec,  and  contains 
50,000  inhabitants.  Its  front  towards  the  river 
will  be  much  improved  by  a  fine  quay  which 
is  now  building.  The  principal  objects  are 
the  convents  and  the  new  Catholic  cathedral, 
a  very  large  and  handsome  specimen  of  the 
simple  gothic;  but  its  internal  decorations  do 
not  correspond  with  its  majestic  exterior.  The 
view  from  the  mountain  of  Montreal,  nearly 
700  feet  high,  is  of  the  same  kind,  but  I  think 
inferior  to  the  view  from  the  ramparts  of 
Quebec.  The  city  is  nearly  two  miles  distant, 
and  is  seen  to  great  advantage  lying  along  the 
bank  of  the  magnificent  St.  Lawi'ence,  whose 


188  SIX    MONTHS 

broadly  expanded  waters  can  be  followed  by 
tlie  eye  for  many  a  league,  both  above  and 
below  the  city.  On  the  opposite  side,  the 
country  is  one  vast  flat  plain,  from  which 
the  isolated  mountain  of  Chambli,  and  another 
peak  at  a  few  miles  distance,  abruptly  arise; 
and  by  relieving  the  monotony  of  the  view, 
have  the  merit  of  giving  it  a  decided  tone  and 
character,  to  which  it  would  not  otherwise  be 
entitled.  The  horizon  is  formed  by  the  bold 
outline  of  the  distant  mountains  of  Vermont, 
and  those  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  of 
New  York. 

I  left  Montreal  to  make  an  excursion  up  the 
Ottowa.  The  beauty  of  this  river,  the  situation 
of  Bytown,  and  the  Rideau  canal,  were  themes 
of  admiration  with  every  one  who  had  seen 
them.  I  went  on  board  a  steam-boat  at  the 
village  of  La  Chine,  and  in  a  few  hours  we 
were  in  sight  of  St.  Ann's,  and  alongside  the 
rapids,  which  we  passed  by  means  of  a  short 


IN    AMERICA.  189 

canal.      About   this   spot   tlie    clear   but   dark- 
coloured  "  Ottowa  tide"  is  chequered  by  many 
a   green   isle,   if  they  can  be  so   called,   when 
clothed,  as  I  saw  them,  in  the  diversified  and 
brilliant  colours  that  characterise  the  foliage  of 
the  American  forest  during  the  autumn.     Every 
variety  of  green  can   be    discerned — from  the 
darkness  of  the  fir,   to   the  silvery  leaf  of   the 
poplar  or  the  willow — while  the  unaccustomed 
eye  is  delighted   by  the  bright  yellow  of  the 
fading  hickory,  and  the  admirable  finish  which 
is  given  to  the  picture,  by  the  broad  patches  of 
deep  and  actual  crimson  of  the  sumach  and  the 
soft  maple.     I  must  again  repeat,  that  I  have 
seen  nothing   of  the   kind   that    can   equal  the 
surpassing    beauty   of   an    American    forest    in 
"the  fall."     It  may  with  justice    be   compared 
to    the  brilliancy  of  a  bed  of  tulips.     We  en- 
tered the  lake  of  the  Two  Mountains,  so  called 
from  two  lofty  hills  on  the  right.     On  the  top 
of  one   of  them,  Mount  Calvary,    is   a   chapel 


190  SIX   MONTHS 

built  by  tlie  Jesuits,  and  connected  with  the 
Indian  village  on  the  margin  of  the  lake  by  aline 
of  chapels,  placed  at  intervals  in  the  pathway.  Its 
sudden  appearance  in  the  bosom  of  the  forest,  is 
extremely  effective  and  picturesque.  Immedi- 
ately behind  the  Indian  village  is  a  large  bank  of 
white  sand,  which  in  the  distance  may  be  easily 
taken  for  a  well-cleared  stubble  field.  At  Ca- 
rillon we  were  obliged  to  leave  the  steam  boat, 
and  proceed  by  land  to  the  town  of  Grenville, 
along  the  side  of  the  canal,  cut  for  the  purpose 
of  avoiding  the  rapids  of  the  "  Long  Saut," 
which,  when  the  river  is  swollen,  are  said  to  be 
exceedingly  violent,  even  more  so  than  those 
of  the  St.  Lawrence.  I  found  the  banks  on  both 
sides  of  the  river  were  cleared  and  cultivated 
to  a  degree  that  far  exceeded  my  expectations, 
whilst  the  unfinished  canal  gives  employment 
to  several  hundred  poor  emigrants,  who  were 
living  chiefly  in  log-houses  along  the  road-side, 
ranged  amongst  many  other  dwellings  of  a 
better  description. 


IN    AMERICA.  191 

The  Ottowa,  although  perceptibly  inferior  to 
the  St.  Lawrence  in  width  and  volume,  is  still 
one  of  the  largest  second-rate  rivers  in  North 
America.  Below  Carillon,  which  is  thirty-five 
miles  from  St.  Ann's,  I  observed  nothing  except- 
ing the  foliage  I  have  mentioned,  that  an  ac- 
quaintance with  American  scenery  had  not  ren- 
dered familiar ;  but  on  approaching  Grenville  a 
lofty  range  of  hills,  containing  rich  mines  of 
plumbago,  ranges  very  majestically  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  river,  which  in  many  places  is 
widened  to  a  surface  equalling  that  of  a  small 
lake,  Mdth  its  shores  broken  by  majestic  head- 
lands. Soon  afterwards,  cultivation  compara- 
tively ceases,  and  the  river  bears  a  resemblance 
to  the  wilder  part  of  the  Ohio  above  Louisville, 
excepting  that  the  forest  trees  on  its  banks  and 
islands,  are  not  so  lofty  as  those  of  the  latter 
river. 

By  town  is  65  miles  from  Grenville  and  120 
from  Montreal.     It  is  divided  into  an  upper  and 


192  SIX    MONTHS 

lower  town ;  containing  many  excellent  houses. 
Thirty  years  ago,  there  was  scarcely  an  habita- 
tion in  the  vicinity,  excepting  that  of  Philemon 
Wright,  Esq.,  a  Bostonian,  and  one  of  the  best 
farmers  in  Canada,  who  with  singular  enterprise 
and  sagacity,  foresaw  that  at  no  very  distant 
period  it  must  become  a  place  of  importance, 
and  as  the  Americans  would  say,  "  located 
himself"  in  the  mi  touched  forests  of  the  Ottowa. 
A  new  world  has  sprung  up  around  him,  and  he 
now  predicts,  with  great  appearance  of  truth, 
that  Bytown  will  become  the  capital  of  the 
country :  a  glance  at  the  map  will  shew  the 
justice  of  his  reasoning.  The  Ottowa  or  Grand 
river,  runs  through  the  country  for  about  500 
miles  above  Bytown.  In  its  course  it  is  joined 
by  several  considerable  streams,  by  means  of 
which  a  water  communication  can  be  extended 
to  Hudson's  bay  on  the  north ;  and  on  the  south 
it  is  connected  with  Lake  Huron,  which  is  not 
more  than  100  miles  distant,  through  the  medium 


IN    AMERICA.  193 

of  Lake  Nipisany ;  and  as  the  Saiit  de  St.  Marie, 
at  the  foot  of  Lake  Superior,  is  said  to  be  800 
miles  nearer  Montreal  than  to  New  York,  it  is 
highly  probable  that  a  considerable  proportion  of 
the  product  of  the  country  around  the  great 
lakes,  even  from  the  further  part  of  Lake 
Michigan,  will  find  its  way  to  the  Ottowa. 

The  pretty,  unpretending  fall  of  the  Rideau, 
so  called  by  the  French  from  its  resemblance  to 
a  white  curtain,  is  seen  on  the  left  immediately 
before  the  boat  rounds  the  headland  that  con- 
ceals the  locks  of  the  celebrated  Rideau  canal, 
which  are  suddenly  presented  to  the  view,  lying 
in  a  slope,  between  two  lofty  and  precipitous 
banks,  nearly  perpendicular  towards  the  river. 
That  on  the  right  is  160  feet  in  height,  com- 
posed of  limestone.  On  the  area  of  the  top, 
which  may  be  from  500  to  6C0  yards  in  circum- 
ference, are  the  barracks  and  the  hospital.  It 
will  probably  be  the  site  of  an  impregnable 
fortress,  which  might  be  built  for  60,000/. ;   an 

VOL.  II.  o 


194  SIX    MONTHS 

expense  which  should  not  be  spared,  when  it 
is  considered  that  the  splendid  works  on  the 
canal,  at  present  unfortified,  might  be  destroyed 
in  half-an-hour.  The  locks  themselves,  eight 
in  number,  are  magnificent  in  every  respect, 
and  reflect  the  highest  credit  on  the  engineer. 
Colonel  By.  In  length  they  occupy  a  space  of 
1260  feet,  and  from  the  surface  of  the  river  to 
the  top  of  the  bank  there  is  a  perpendicular  rise 
of  84  feet.  Each  lock  is  134  feet  long,  33  wide, 
and  17  in  depth.  The  canal,  for  several  miles 
above  By  town,  is  supplied  by  the  Rideau  river, 
and  before  it  reaches  Kingston  on  Lake  Ontario,  a 
distance  of  140  miles,  a  head  of  water  is  obtained 
by  means  of  thirteen  dams  of  different  dimen- 
sions, the  largest  being  300  feet  wade  and  65  deep. 
The  navigation  is  continued  by  means  of  these 
dams,  as  there  is  not  above  seven  or  eight  miles 
of  excavation  throughout  the  whole  distance. 

On  the  supposition  that  military  stores  are 
to  be  sent  from  Montreal  to  supply  the  troops  in 


IN    AMERICA.  19 


o 


Upper  Canadii,  or  a  fleet  on  Lake  Ontario,  it 
is  intended  that  they  should  pass  through  the 
channel  behind  the  island  of  Montreal,  which  is 
not  yet  rendered  navigable;  that  they  should 
proceed  up  the  Ottowa,  ascending  the  rapids  by 
means  of  the  Grenville  canal,  and  upon  arriving 
at  By  town,  be  forwarded  to  Kingston  along  the 
Rideau,  which  thus  affords  a  method  of  commu- 
nication infinitely  shorter  than  any  land  con- 
veyance,— an  additional  advantage  arising  from 
its  great  distance  from  the  American  frontier,  and 
proportionate  security  from  hostile  incursion. 
Although  the  Rideau  canal  is  principally  a  mili- 
tary work,  it  will  be  of  the  greatest  importance 
in  a  commercial  point  of  view,  on  account  of 
its  affording  a  direct  means  of  conveyance  by  its 
communication  with  a  number  of  smaller  streams 
that  intersect  it  at  intervals,  and  which  will  en- 
able the  settlers  who  live  many  miles  from  the 
banks  to  forward  the  produce  of  their  farms, 
with  certainty  and  celerity.     The  difficulty  and 

o  2 


196  SIX    MONTHS 

expense  of  conveyance  was  originally  a  great 
drawback  upon  the  use  of  British  manufactures 
in  the  Upper  Province;  they  paid  a  freight 
from  Quebec  of  5/.  a  ton ;  but  by  means  of  the 
Rideau  canal,  the  freight  has  been  reduced  one- 
half.  Land,  according  to  its  situation  on  different 
parts  of  the  canal,  was  selling  from  two  to  five 
dollars  the  acre  ;  crowai  lands  at  a  fixed  price 
of  11.  the  acre.  On  application  to  any  of  the 
crown  land  agents,  a  ticket  may  be  obtained, 
containing  a  permission  to  cut  timber  on  a  cer- 
tain space  of  ground,  on  payment  of  a  duty  to 
government  of  one  penny  the  foot. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  stands  the 
village  of  Hull.  A  winding  road  about  a  mile 
in  length  conducted  me  to  the  bridges  thrown 
over  the  fall  of  the  Ottowa,  which  according  to 
the  usual  appellation  bestowed  by  the  French 
upon  any  fall  of  magnitude  in  the  Canadas,  is 
termed  the  "  Chaudiere,"  or  "  boiler."  The 
bed  of  the  river  is  divided  into   five   channels 


IN    AMERICA.  197 

formed  in  the  solid  rock,  with  more  or  less  of  a 
fall  in  each  of  them.  The  largest  may  be  abont 
thirty  feet  in  height,  and  from  its  greater  violence 
has  worn  away  the  precipice  for  a  considerable 
distance  behind  the  others,  which  jiroject  and 
recede  in  a  most  singular  manner,  whilst  the 
river  not  contented  with  so  many  ways  of  escape, 
rolls  over  the  bare  ledge  of  the  rock  that  is  ex- 
tended between  them,  so  that  its  eager  waters  are 
tumbling  in  all  directions.  The  whole  width  of 
the  stream  immediately  at  the  head  of  the  fall, 
is  more  than  half  a  mile.  It  was  not  particularly 
full  when  I  saw  it,  but  was  darting  through  the 
bridges  with  extreme  violence.  In  the  spring, 
when  the  river  is  swollen  bv  the  melted  ice  and 
snow,  the  whole  of  the  rocks  are  so  deeply 
covered  by  the  flood,  that  there  is  little  or  no  fall 
to  be  seen  even  at  the  Chaudiere,  as  the  principal 
fall  is  called  ;  and  I  could  easily  conceive  that  the 
rush  of  water  at  that  season  of  the  year  must  be 
tremendous.     The  whole  scene  was  exceedingly 


198  SIX    MONTHS 

curious;  and  although  rather  disappointed  at 
first  sight,  I  felt  myself  amply  repaid  for  my 
excursion  to  Bytown.  When  it  was  first  under- 
stood that  a  bridge  was  to  be  throwTi  across  from 
rock  to  rock,  an  old  American  who  had  known 
the  river  in  its  fury,  and  firmly  believed  that 
such  a  scheme  was  impracticable,  was  heard  to 
predict  with  great  emphasis,  and  corresponding 
action,  that  some  day  or  other  "  it  would  go 
right  slit  to  immortal  smash."  Ma«y  of  the 
poor  Scotch  emigrants  answered  to  my  inquiry 
as  to  their  destination,  that  they  were  "  ganging 
to  Perth;"  a  thriving  town,  about  fifty  miles 
above  Bytown,  and  situated  between  the  Ottowa 
and  the  Rideau  canal.  Thirty  miles  on  the 
river  above  Bytown,  is  the  settlement  on  the 
Lake  "  des  Chats." 

On  the  evening  of  the  fatal  field  of  Culloden, 
the  unfortunate  Prince  Charles  Edward  pre- 
sented himself,  wearied  and  alone,  at  the  door 
of  a   hut,   and  requested  sustenance    and   mo- 


IN    AMERICA.  199 

mentary  concealment ;  the  inmate,  a  poor  tailor, 
who  recognized  his  person,  mounted  guard  at 
the  door  whilst  his  illustrious  guest  was  sleeping 
within,  on  a  pallet  of  heather.  He  was  soon 
aroused  by  the  tailor,  who  awakened  him  by 
exclaiming  in  Gaelic,  "  My  prince,  core  of  my 
heart !  save  yourself,  for  the  enemy  are  upon 
you."  A  party  of  cavalry  were  galloping  towards 
the  hut,  and  the  prince  had  just  time  to  escape 
through  a  small  back  window,  and  reach  the 
Morven  mountains.  For  his  greater  comfort  in 
repose  he  had  deposited  his  sword  upon  a  bench 
in  a  corner  of  the  hut ;  and  in  the  precipitancy 
of  his  flight  he  had  forgotten  to  take  it  with  him. 
The  tailor  had  just  time  to  conceal  it,  by  re- 
moving the  earth  and  burying  it  under  the  hea- 
ther. The  cavalry  demanded  the  prince,  saying 
that  thev  had  information  that  he  had  taken 
refuge  in  the  hut,  and  carried  off  the  tailor  as 
their  prisoner,  who  was  afterwards  confined  in 
Edinburgh  castle.     In  the  mean  time  the  sword 


200  SIX    MONTHS 

Still  remained  where  he  had  buried  it,  but  the 
hut  became  a  heap  of  ruins.     Whilst  the  "  Clan 
and  Disarming  Act"  (afterwards  repealed  by  the 
exertions  of  the  Duke  of  Montrose)  was  in  force, 
he  dare  say  nothing  about  the  sword,  but  upon 
his  death-bed  in   Breadalbane,   the  poor  tailor 
informed  his  cousin,  Finlay  Mc  Nauton,  where 
the  sword  was  to  be  found.     He  searched  and 
found  it,  in  the  spot  where  it  had  lain  from  1745 
to   1784.     The   belt  and  scabbard  were  rotted 
with  moisture,  and  the  blade   of  course  nearly 
covered  with  rust.     It  is  the  real  old  Highland 
basket-hilted    claymore.      On    the    rust    being 
removed,  the  burning  heart  of  the  Bruce  sur- 
mounted   by    the    crown    of   Scotland    became 
visible  on  the  blade.    Between  them  is  engraved 
"  Le  Chevalier."     On  the  reverse  are  the  words, 
"Vive  le  Roi,"  extending  the  w^hole  length  of 
the  blade.    Finlay  Mc  Nauton  joined  the  veteran 
battalion,  and  died  at  Gibraltar,  the  sword  being 
still   in    his    possession.        Upon    his    death,    it 


IN    AMERICA.  *20l 

passed  with  the  rest  of  his  effects  into  the  hands 
of  John   Mc  Nauton,  his  brother,   who  is  still 
alive  at  a  very  advanced  age  in  Glengary,  the 
oldest  settlement  in  Upper  Canada.    Who  w  ould 
expect  to   hear  that  this  sword,  positively  the 
most  classical  object  in  America,  is  now,  as  it 
were,  lying  in  state  on  the  banks  of  the  Lake 
"  des  Chats,"  in  the  wdld  forests  of  the  Ottowa, 
not  less  than  150  miles  from  Montreal.    Mc  Nab 
of  Mc  Nab,   the  nephew  and  representative  of 
the   late  laird,  founded  the  settlement  with  the 
advice  and  imder  the  auspices  of  his  kinsman, 
the    Earl    of   Dalhousie,    the    late  governor    of 
Lower  Canada.     He  has   collected  around  him 
about  tw^o  hundred  of  his  clan,  whose  forefathers 
followed  his  ancestors  in  the  hour  of  battle,  and 
have   now  gone  with  him  in  the  day  of   their 
distress  to  clear  and  cultivate  the  wilderness  of 
the  Ottow^a  under  his  superintendence.     He  has 
possession  of  the  sword,  and  never  shows  it  to  a 
stranger  but  in  the  presence  of  his  piper,  who 


202  SIX    MONTHS 

is  ordered  to  play  the  whole  time.  It  was  given 
to  him  by  John  Mc  Nauton,  who  added  in 
Gaelic,  that  "  some  damned  long-legged  fellow 
of  a  Sassanach  had  asked  him  for  the  sword  and 
offered  him  money  for  it,  but  that  he  would 
never  disgrace  the  clan  of  Mc  Nauton  ])y  giving 
over  that  sword  to  an  Englishman." 

The  boundary  line  between  Upper  and  Lower 
Canada  leaves  the  St.  Lawrence  about  28  miles 
below  Cornwall,  and  after  running  in  nearly  a 
straight  direction,  comes  in  contact  with  the 
Ottowa  river  at  Point  Fortune,  opposite  to 
Carillon.  It  pursues  the  course  of  the  river 
for  many  a  league  beyond  the  habitations  of 
civilised  society;  and  then  strikes  off  to  Hud- 
son's bay.  During  the  last  session,  an  Act  was 
passed  in  the  provincial  Parliament  for  the  ap- 
pointment of  Commissioners  to  ascertain  its 
exact  direction,  in  order  to  satisfy  the  borderers, 
who  complained  of  being  subjected  to  the  laws 
of  either  province  alternately.     The  idea  of  an 


IN    AMERICA.  203 

union  of  the  two  Canadas  has  apparently  been 
dropped  for  the  present.     Perhaps  the  majority 
of   the    British    inhabitants   in   both    provinces 
would  be  in  favour  of  such  a  project,  or  at  all 
events  would  not  oifer  much  opposition  to  it; 
but   the   French  population  in   Lower   Canada 
would  display  a  most   violent  aversion  to  any 
change  of  the  kind.     The  old  French  law  would 
of  course  be  superseded  by  the  laws  of  England 
subject  to  provincial  alterations,  and  the  French 
Canadian  influence    in   the  government  would 
decline  in  proportion  to  the  importance   of  the 
British  interest  in  the  House  of  Assembly,  which 
would  be  increased  by  the  accession  of  delegates 
from    the    Upper     Province.       Upper    Canada 
would  have  no  objection  to  a  port  of  entry,  by 
which  her  share  of  the  duties  on  imports  would 
be  exactly  regulated  by  the  quantity  she  con- 
sumed.     Every   ship  trading   to    the    Canadas 
must  of   course  discharge    her  cargo  either  at 
Quebec  or    Montreal.       By  the   arrangement, 


204  SIX    MONTHS 

solicited  and  obtained  by  Upper  Canada  in  18*22j 
no  duties  can  be  laid  on  goods  imported  or 
passing  into  Lower  Canada  without  the  consent 
of  both  provinces,  or  by  the  British  parliament ; 
and  the  just  proportion  of  the  duties  due  to 
each  province  settled  by  arbitration,  and  its  share 
paid  over  to  the  Upper  Province.  Tlie  propor- 
tion it  now  receives  by  the  existing  regulation 
is  25  per  cent. ;  but  this  it  will  be  seen  must  be 
increased,  when  it  is  considered  that  by  far  the 
greater  number  of  the  settlers  resort  to  the 
Upper  Province,  that  the  French  Canadian  pea- 
santry usually  prefer  the  coarse  cloth  of  their 
own  manufacture,  and  that  therefore  the  bulk  of 
the  imports  from  Great  Britain  must  find  their 
way  to  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario. 

It  is  probable  that  much  confusion  would  ensue 
for  a  length  of  time  after  an  union  should  take 
place,  and  it  is  equally  so,  that  the  Canadas 
themselves  would  eventually  be  gainers  by  the 
measure ;    but    the    more    serious    question    is, 


IN    AMERICA.  205 

whether  it  is  not  better  for  the  mother  country 
to  have  two  parties  there,  instead  of  one  ;  and 
whether  it  would  be  politic  in  Great  Britain  to 
promote  an  arrangement  that  would  render  the 
colonies  far  more   independent  than  would  be 
consistent  with  their  allegiance  to  their  mother 
country.     As  it  is,  the  French  Canadian  interest 
is  really  on  the  decline,  and  the  British  popula- 
tion  is   wonderfully    increasing.      Every    thing 
considered,   the  Canadas  are  improving  with  a 
rapidity    not   surpassed   by    any    country    upon 
earth;    and    I    humbly    conceive,    that    experi- 
mental interference   should  be   deprecated,    be- 
cause it  would  lead  to  a  certain  interruption  of 
their  present  career  of  prosperity,  for  the  sake 
of  a  distant  and  not  certain  advantage. 


I  returned  to  Montreal.  When  a  traveller 
approaches  Montreal  he  naturally  turns  his  eye 
to  the  mountain  behind  it,  and  feels  surprised 
that  there  is   no  fortification  by  which  a  city  of 


'206  SIX    MONTHS 

SO  much  importance,  and  so  near  the  American 
frontier  could  be  commanded, — strictly  speaking, 
a  fort  should  be  built  on  the  top  of  the  mountain, 
and  at  La  Chine,  and  on  Nun's  island,  by  which, 
together  with  the  batteries  on  St.  Helen's  island 
in  the  river,  immediately  opposite  to  the  city, 
the  passage  of  the  St.  Lawi'ence  would  be  effec- 
tually defended.  But,  when  it  is  considered  that 
the  top  of  the  hill,  or  mountain,  is  three  miles 
from  the  city ;  that  it  requires  eleven  pounds  of 
powder  to  throw  a  thirteen-inch  shell  to  the 
distance  of  one  mile;  that  all  the  fortifications  in 
the  w^orld  would  not  preserve  the  Canadas  to  us, 
if  the  natives  w^ere  against  us;  that  the  Ame- 
ricans could  never  take  Montreal  so  long  as  the 
Canadians  would  fight  on  our  side ;  that  there  is 
a  prospect  of  a  lasting  peace  between  Great 
Britain  and  the  United  States;  and  finally,  the 
probability  that  before  another  half  centurj^  has 
passed  away,  the  Canadas  will  cease,  by  a  blood- 
less   negociation,    to   be    a  British    colony — an 


IN    AMERICA.  207 

enormous  expense  may  well  be  spared,  by 
leaving-  the  city  in  its  present  state. 

Tlie  picturesque  island  of  St.  Helen's,  con- 
tains a  small  garrison,  and  a  large  quantity  of 
military  stores.  On  the  angle  of  the  saluting 
battery  on  the  south-west  corner  of  the  island, 
the  French  flag  waved  its  last  in  the  Canadas. 

I  left  Montreal,  after  having  discovered  that 
there  was  a  pack  of  fox-hounds  kept  close  by, 
and  that  they  hunted  regularly,  and  occasionally 
on  by-days.  They  had  not  been  long  organised, 
but  promised  very  well.  I  was  also  present  for 
one  day  during  the  races.  The  course  is  two 
miles  in  length,  and  in  excellent  condition,  being 
railed  off  the  whole  distance.  I  saw  one  race, 
which  was  admirably  contested;  but  the  groimd 
was  not  well  attended,  and  the  others  did  not 
go  off  with  spirit.  I  was  told,  however,  that 
there  was  a  great  prospect  of  improvement,  as 
the  Canadians  were  beginning  to  be  fond  of  the 
sport.     The  excitement  would  have  been  much 


208  SIX    MONTHS 

greater  if  it  liad  lasted  but  two  days  instead  of 
four;  and  a  public  ball  afterwards  would  not 
have  been  amiss. 

I  then  crossed  the  river  in  a  steam-boat  to 
La  Prairie,   distant  nine   miles  from  Montreal. 
A   miserably  bad  road  conducted  me   to   Blair 
Findie,    and   subsequently  to    the    very   pretty 
village  of  Chamble,   where  orchards  and   corn- 
fields were  to  be  seen  on  all  sides.     Both  these 
places,  particularly  the  former,  are  well  known 
to  the  Canadian  sportsmen  as  the  favourite  haunt 
of  the  woodcock — perhaps  the  best  in  America. 
They  are  found  in   great  numbers  in  the  low 
birch  woods  around  Blair  Findie,  where  a  good 
shot  will  sometimes  kill  above  twenty  couple  in 
a  morning,  and  I  heard  that  in  one  instance  as 
many  as  eighty  couple  were  killed  in  two  days 
by  two  guns. 

The  beginning  of  October  is  the  best  season 
for  shooting  all  kinds  of  game  in  the  Canadas. 

The    American    woodcock    is    considerably 


IN    AMERICA.  209 

smaller  than  tlie  European  bird,  seldom  or  very 
rarely  exceeding  eight  ounces  in  weight,  and 
its  plumage  is,  I  think,  handsomer.  The  spots 
of  brown  on  the  back  are  larger  and  deeper, 
and  the  breast,  instead  of  being  marked  wdth 
dusky  bars,  is  of  a  fine  almond  colour.  Their 
flavour  is  similar.  The  American  bird  when 
flushed,  rises  very  rapidly,  with  a  small  shrill 
quickly  repeated  whistle,  and  seldom  flies  be- 
yond a  distance  of  one  hundred  yards.  Sports- 
men who  do  not  mind  the  heat,  will  find  the 
shooting  exceedingly  good  in  the  month  of 
July,  when  the  w^oodcocks  first  return  from  their 
southern  haunts  for  the  purpose  of  breeding. 
In  the  northern  States  and  the  Canadas,  they 
may  be  shot  till  the  first  fortnight  in  November 
has  elapsed,  after  which  they  retreat  to  a  warmer 
climate  for  the  winter.  No  pheasant,  partridge, 
or  quail,  is  strictly  speaking  found  in  North 
America.  The  partridge,  so  called  in  the  States, 
is  the  quail   of  the   Canadas:  but  although  on 

VOL.   II.  p  • 


210  SIX    MONTHS 

account  of  its  size  and  general  appearance  it 
miglit  easily  be  mistaken  for  the  latter  bird,  it 
is  in  fact  a  species  of  the  new  genus,  '*  ortyx." 
The  difference  between  the  real  quail  and  the 
ortyx  of  America,  like  that  between  the  long 
and  short- winged  ha\vks,  consists  in  the  structure 
of  tlie  wing:  in  the  one,  the  second  feather  is 
longest ;  in  the  other,  the  fourth,  which  evidently 
unfits  it  for  taking  a  long  flight.  The  "  oxtyx 
virginianus  "  has  become  naturalized  in  Suffolk, 
and  has  been  shot  near  Uxbridge.  A  species  of 
the  genus  coturnix,  or  real  quail,  has  been  found 
near  the  Straits  of  Magellan.  The  pheasant  of 
the  States  is  the  partridge  of  the  Canadas,  and 
is  in  fact  a  very  handsome  species  of  grouse, 
feathered  down  to  the  toes,  and  having  in  a 
great  measure  the  habits  of  the  capercaily,  living 
entirely  in  the  woods,  and  treeing  readily  when 
put  up  by  a  small  dog.  I  have  before  noticed 
the  grouse,  or  barren,  or  prairie  hen.  In  the 
Canadas  there  is  also  a  darker  coloured  species. 


IN    AMERICA.  211 

called,  the  spruce  partridge.  A  large  grouse, 
nearly  allied  to  the  capercaily  in  size  and  colour, 
is  found  near  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  and  al- 
though five  or  six  different  kinds  of  grouse  are 
to  be  found  in  North  America  —  including,  I 
believe,  the  ptarmigan — yet  the  black  and  red 
game  of  Scotland  are  not  among  them.  A  smaller 
species  of  red  grouse  is  plentiful  in  Newfound- 
land. 

The  same  animal  is  called  a  hare  in  the 
States,  and  a  rabbit  in  the  Canadas.  It  never 
burrows  ;  its  usual  colour  is  that  of  the  European 
hare  and  rabbit  mixed,  and  the  meat  is  dark, 
like  that  of  the  European  hare.  A  larger  species 
which  turns  white  in  the  winter,  and  is  termed 
on  that  account,  the  varying  hare,  is  more  com- 
mon in  the  Canadas  than  in  the  States,  but  is  no 
where  plentiful.  I  would  here  remark  that  any 
traveller  who  brings  his  gun  with  him,  and  has 
a  decided  wish  to  see  some  American  shooting, 
should  bring  his  own  dog  with  him;  any  that  he 

p2 


212  *  SIX    MONTHS 

can  depend  on  for  general  purposes,   be  it  of 
what  breed  it  may. 

America  offers  a  fine  field  to  the  ornitholo- 
gist, and  even  a  traveller  who  is  usually  careless 
of  the  study  of  natural  history,  cannot  fail  to 
be  delighted  with  the  variety  of  beautiful  birds 
which  he  will  see  in  merely  passing  through  the 
American  forests,  more  particularly  in  those  of 
the  States.  Red  birds,  blue  birds,  and  yellow 
or  Baltimore  birds  (a  species  of  starling),  will 
frequently  fly  across  his  path ;  turtle  doves  are 
constantly  alighting  in  the  road  before  him ;  a 
large,  magnificent  species  of  woodpecker,  with  a 
red  crest,  usually  termed  the  woodcock,  will  some- 
times make  his  appearance ;  a  great  variety  of  the 
same  genus,  particularly  a  small  species  with  a 
marked  plumage  of  black,  white,  and  crimson,  are 
almost  always  in  sight;  he  will  be  startled  and 
deceived  by  the  mew  of  the  catbird, — and  his 
eye  and  ear  will  be  attracted  by  the  brilliant 
plumage   of  the   blue  jay,    the  singing  of  the 


IN    AMERICA.  213 

mocking-bird,    the   melodious  flute-like  whistle 
of  the  wood-thrush,  or  the  instantaneous  buz  of 
the  passing    humming-bird.      Considering    the 
wildness  of  the   country,   I  was  very  much  sur- 
prised at  the  scarcity  of  the  larger  birds  of  prey ; 
a  small  brown  vulture,  commonly  misnamed  the 
turkey-buzzard,    is   however   an    exception.      I 
never  saw  but  one  bald  eagle  in  America :  he 
was  beating  for  his  prey  over  the  mountain  of 
Montreal ;  his  snow-white  head  and  tail  being 
discernible  at  a  great  distance.      They  are  more 
numerous  on  the  sea  coast,  near  the  haunts  of 
the  fish-hawk  (osprey).     When  this  latter  bird 
has  taken  a  fish,  the  bald  eagle  who  has   been 
watching  his  movements  from  a  neighbouring 
height,    will    commence  a  most   furious    attack 
upon  him,  will  force  him  to  drop  his  prey,   and 
frequently  seize  it  before  it  can  disappear  under 
water.     The  bald  eagle  is  the  national  emblem 
of  the   United   States.     It  was  well   remarked 
by  Dr.   Franklin,   that  the   wild  turkey  would 


214  SIX    MONTHS 

have  answered  the  purpose  better,  being  exclu- 
sively indigenous  to  North  America,  and  having 
an  innate  and  violent  antipathy  to  red  coats. 

Chambli  is  a  large,  straggling  village,  con- 
taining perhaps  5000  inhabitants,  of  which  4000 
are  communicants  at  the  Catholic  church.  The 
Catholic  doctrine,  divested  of  the  pomp  and 
absurdity  of  ceremony,  being  no  where  more 
strictly  adhered  to,  than  amongst  the  peasantry 
of  Lower  Canada.  The  houses  are  scattered 
around  what  is  called  the  basin  of  Chambli — a 
lake  about  three  miles  in  length  and  two  in 
breadth,  formed  in  the  Richelieu  river.  A  canal 
is  now  forming,  which  in  a  few  years  will  con- 
tribute very  much  to  the  prosperity  and  im- 
portance of  the  tillage  of  Chambli  and  the  sur- 
rounding country.  When  finished,  the  course 
of  navigation  between  lake  Champlain  and  the 
St.  Lawrence,  at  present  impeded  by  the  rapids 
at  Chambli,  will  be  safe  from  interruption ;  so 
that  the  produce    of   "  the  townships,"    as   the 


IN    AMERICA.  '215 

lands  granted  by  the  crown  are  termed,  will  be 
conveyed  directly  to  Quebec  instead  of  passing 
through  Montreal. 

An  old  fort  built  by  the  French  is  standing 
at  the  foot  of  the  rapids.  The  situation  is 
selected  with  their  usual  judgment,  it  being 
scai'cely  assailable  from  the  water.  Chambli  has 
also  bai-racks  for  1000  horse,  and  15,000  in- 
fantry,   but  at  present   they  are   unoccupied. 

I  would  recommend  every  one  who  has  time 
at  his  disposal,  to  ascend  the  Belleisle  moun- 
tain, distant  eleven  miles  from  Chambli.  It 
is  principally  composed  of  granite,  and  rises 
abruptly  from  the  plain  to  a  height  of  more 
than  2000  feet.  From  the  top  may  be  seen 
the  finest  view  in  the  Canadas.  The  eye  roams 
on  every  side,  over  a  vast  extent  of  country, 
and  the  uniform  direction  of  the  "  concessions  " 
or  lands  held  in  signorie,  contributes  not  a 
little  to  the  singularity  of  the  prospect.  On 
the  north,  the  St  Lawrence  is  visible  on  a  clear 


216  SIX    MONTHS 

« 

day  as  far  as  the  "Three  Rivers,"  which  is 
half-way  to  Quebec ;  on  the  south  and  east,  are 
the  mountains  of  New  York  and  Vermont.  The 
city  of  Montreal,  at  the  distance  of  seventeen 
miles  to  the  westward,  would  appear  like  a 
white  streak  on  the  banks  of  the  river;  but 
that  the  superior  height  of  the  towers  of  the 
cathedral  are  distinctly  relieved  by  the  dark 
wooded  sides  of  the  hill,  whose  elevation  is 
much  diminished  by  the  distance.  The  Riche- 
lieu river  appears  to  run  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  and  the  whole  of  its  course  is  visible 
from  lake  Champlain  to  the  St.  Lawrence. 
The  mountain  itself  is  exceedingly  picturesque ; 
a  small  and  very  pretty  lake  being  embosomed 
in  its  well-wooded  recesses,  like  that  of  Tarni 
near  Tivoli.  The  ascent  from  Chambli  occu- 
pied a  day ;  but  I  thought  myself  amply  repaid 
for  the  time  I  had  expended,  and  the  fatigue 
I  had  undergone.  I  proceeded  to  St.  John's, 
and  took  tlie  steam-boat   for  lake   Champlain. 


IN    AMERICA.  217 

In  a  few  hours  we  passed  the  old  fort  at  Rouse's 
point,  which  by  the  late  decision  of  the  king  of 
the  Netherlands,  on  the  boundary  question,  is 
now  in  possession  of  the  Americans,  although 
it  stands  on  the  Canadian  side  of  the  river.  By 
the  treaty  of  1783,  the  boundary  line  between 
the  United  States  and  Lower  Canada  was  im- 
perfectly defined  as  extending  "from  the  north 
west  angle  of  Nova  Scotia  (now  New  Bruns- 
wick) to  that  angle  which  is  formed  by  a  line 
drawn  due  north  from  the  source  of  the  St. 
Croix  river  to  the  Highlands;  along  the  said 
Highlands  which  divide  those  rivers  that  empty 
themselves  in  the  river  St.  Lawrence  from  those 
which  fall  into  the  Atlantic  ocean."  But  as 
the  land  had  never  been  surveyed,  so  that  the 
position  of  these  Highlands  might  be  ascer- 
tained, and  it  having  always  been  disputed 
which  were  the  rivers  referred  to,  commissioners 
were  appointed  at  the  treaty  of  Ghent,  to  deter- 
mine the  true  boundary,  and  as  they  could  not 


218  SIX    MONTHS 

agree,  the  king  of  tlie  Netherlands  was  proposed 
as  an  arbitrator.     Two  lines  were  laid  before 
him,   on  one  of  which  he  was  to  decide;   one 
drawn  by  the  Americans  on  the  north  of  the 
Temisconata  lake,  and  the  other  by  the  British 
300  miles  to  the  south  of  it.     His  majesty,  how- 
ever,  in  his  award  followed   neither  of  them; 
but  has  drawn  a  line  between  them  to  the  river 
St.  John,  transferring  to  the  United  States  about 
six  millions  of  acres ;  and  has  brought  the  most 
northerly  point  of  the  bomidary  for  sixty  miles 
within  thirteen  miles  of  the  St  Lawrence,  whilst 
200  miles  below,  it  strikes  off  to  the  south-east 
after  having   approached  within   fifty  miles    of 
Quebec.      The    old    French    Canadian   settlers 
on  the    St.   John  and   Madawaska  settlements, 
and  who,    like    the    rest   of  their    countrymen, 
have  a  mortal  antipathy  to  the  Americans,  are 
exceedingly  annoyed  at  being  thus  transferred 
into  the  dominion  of  the   States;   but  as  both 
Great   Britain   and   the   United  States  are   dis- 


IN    AMERICA.  219 

satisfied  with  the  decision,  it  ia  probable  that 
some  other  arrangement  will  be  made. 

We  then  passed  the  isle  Aux  Noix,  the 
British  naval  establishment  on  lake  Champlain, 
I  observed  several  schooners  on  the  stocks,  re- 
maining, like  the  ships  at  Kingston,  as  they 
were  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  several  old 
gun  boats  that  appeared  to  have  taken  part  in 
it.  The  expenses  of  the  fort,  which  effectually 
commands  the  passage  from  the  lake,  are  the 
same  as  those  of  a  frigate;  and,  as  such,  are 
placed  on  the  naval  establishment  instead  of 
the  military. 

Upon  entering  the  lake,  the  shores  appeared 
extremely  flat  and  miinteresting.  We  touched 
at  Plattsburg,  and  passed  over  the  scene  of 
Mc  Donough's  victory  over  our  fleet  in  the  last 
war.  We  then  arrived  at  Burlington,  and  at 
nine  o'clock  the  next  morning  I  started  to  cross 
the  New  England,  or  Yankee  States,  on  my 
way  to   Boston.     The  coachman  drove  six-in- 


220 


SIX    MONTHS 


liarid,  and  in  a  very  workmanlike  manner,  with- 
out locking  the  wheels,  but  descending  several 
hills  so  steep  that  as  a  Yankee  expressed  himself. 
It  was  like  driving  off  the  roof  of  a  house.     A 
detailed  description  of  the  road  is  unnecessary : 
it  wound  through  the  beautiful  and  well  culti- 
vated valleys  of  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire, 
running  for  many  miles  along  the  banks  of  the 
Onion  and  Connecticut  rivers ;  whilst  the  forests 
on  the  hills  around  were  every  where  clothed  in 
their  splendid  autumnal  garb,  and  overshadowed 
some  of  the  prettiest  and  happiest  looking  vil- 
lages I   ever  saw  in  any   country;  the  houses 
being    chiefly    white,    wdth    green    blinds,    and 
otherwise  displaying  an  excellent  taste  in   de- 
sign.   Whole  fields  were  strewed  with  enormous 
pumpkins,  and  others  were  covered  wdth  broom 
corn,  which  is  no  bad  substitute  for  oats.     We 
passed  through  Montpelier,  and  skirted  the  rocky 
mountain   of    Monadnoc,    stopping  to   look   at 
the  Bellow's  fall,  on  the  Connecticut  river,  and 


IN    AMERICA.  221 

afterwards  arriving  at  Concord,  where  the  fire 
of  the  British  troops  was  returned  by  the  Ame- 
ricans for  the  first  time  during  the  revolutionary 
war,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775.  General  Gage 
had  sent  them  to  seize  and  destroy  some  stores 
which  had  been  secretly  collected  at  Concord. 
They  succeeded  in  their  attempt,  but  were  sub- 
sequently obliged  to  retreat.  The  fight  took 
place  at  the  north  bridge,  about  three  quarters 
of  a  mile  from  the  bridge  o^-er  which  the  road 
now  passes.  The  inhabitants  are  proud,  and 
justly  proud,  of  this  event. 

At  Lexington,  six  miles  nearer  to  Boston, 
stands  a  plain  monument  to  the  memory  of  the 
militia  men  who  were  fired  upon  and  dispersed 
by  the  British  troops  on  the  same  morning,  pre- 
viously to  their  advance  upon  Concord. 

I  entered  Boston  by  the  light  of  innume- 
rable lamps,  that  plainly  marked  the  direction 
of  its  many  bridges,  and  took  up  my  quarters 
at  the   Tremont  hotel, — decidedly,   taken  alto- 


222  SIX    MONTHS 

gether,    the  best  house   in  the  United    States. 
The  table  and  the  bed-rooms  were  equally  good, 
which  is  not  the  case  at  any  other  I  had  seen. 
In  appearance  it  more  resembles  a  government 
building  than  a  hotel.     Breakfast,  dinner,  tea, 
and  supper  are  served  up,  as  usual,  at  a  certain 
hour ;  and  although  that  hour  at  breakfast  time 
is  liberally  extended,  yet  if  it  happens  that  a 
person  be  detained  too  long,  he  must  either  go 
without  his  dinner,  or  put  up  with  cold  and  dis- 
figured viands  placed  before   him   with   an   ill 
grace  by  a  tired  waiter,  or  pay  extra  for  a  meal 
expressly  served  up  for  him  ;  as  the  hotel  charges 
are  two,   or  two  dollars  and  a  half  a-day,  and 
it  makes  no  difference  whether  he  attends  the 
table  d'hote  or  not. 

The  principal  theatre  is  exactly  opposite  the 
Tremont.  The  front  is  ornamented  with  Ionic 
pilasters  supporting  an  entablature  and  pedi- 
ment. The  interior  is  tastefully  arranged,  but 
is  seldom  visited  by  the  first  circles. 


IN    AMERICA.  223 

The  Indian  name  of  Boston  was  Sliawmut, 
its  first  English  appellation  was  Trimountain, 
and  its  present  name  was  given  in  1630. 

At  an  early  day  after  my  arrival,  1  took  the 
opportunity  of  ascending  the  capitol,  which  stands 
on  the  most  elevated  corner  of  "  the  Common." 
The  Common,  according  to  the  usual  English 
signification  of  the  word,  deserves  a  better  name, 
as  it  is  the  prettiest  promenade  in  the  States. 
It  contains  about  seventy-five  acres,  disposed  in 
a  sloping  direction  from  north  to  south,  varied  by 
other  eminences,  of  which  the  most  conspicuous 
is  formed  by  the  not  yet  quite  levelled  remains 
v/'  of  the  British  fortifications  of  1775.  It  is  sur^- 
rounded  by  trees,  and  the  best  houses  in  Boston  i 
some  of  them  being  large  and  handsome,  and 
not  the  less  deserving  of  the  epithet  because 
they  are  of  a  stone  colour,  or  any  other  than 
that  of  red  brick.  But  at  Boston  generally  I 
observed  greater  taste  in  this  respect  than  in 
any  other  of  the  cities  which  I  visited.     On  one 


•224  SIX    MONTHS 

side  of  the  Common  is  a  mall,  or  promenade, 
formed  by  parallel  avenues  of  fine  elm  trees; 
but  yet,  notwithstanding  the  beauty  of  its  situa- 
tion, it  is  deserted  by  the  Boston  belles  for  the 
gay  glitter  of  the  fashionable  shops  in  Cornhill 
or  Washington  street. 

To  the  best  of  my  recollection,  every  capitol 
or  State-house  that  I  have  seen,  or  of  which  I 
have  seen  a  picture,  is  surmounted  by  a  dome 
or  cupola, — that  of  Boston  is  particularly  con- 
spicuous; but  the  smoothness  of  its  exterior  is 
but  ill  assorted  with  the  richness  of  the  Corinthian 
columns  in  the  facade :  it  should  be  grooved  like 
the  dome  of  St.  Paul's.  The  present  heavy 
appearance  of  the  cupola  at  Washington  would 
be  very  much  improved  if  it  were  altered  in 
a  similar  manner. 

The  capitol  at  Boston  contains  a  very  fine 
statue  of  Washington,  by  Chantrey.  From  the 
top  is  obtained  a  fine  panoramic  view  of  the 
whole  city,  with  the  bay,  its  islands,  and  their 


IN    AMERICA.  *2t25 

fortifications ;  its  bridges,  wharfs,  and  eiiormuiis 
warehouses.  On  the  north  is  the  memora])le 
Bunker's  Hill,  with  part  of  the  fine  obelisk  that 
is  to  be ;  the  navy-yard,  and  the  suburb  of 
Charlestown.  The  bay  of  Boston,  like  that  of 
New  York,  is  fondly  thought  by  some  of  the 
inhabitants  of  each  city  to  be  as  fine,  if  not 
superior  in  beauty,  to  that  of  Naples ; — whether 
they  have  seen  it  or  not,  is  of  little  consequence  ; 
the  bay  of  Boston,  with  its  flat  treeless  islands 
and  headlands,  shall  be  as  fine  as  the  bay  of 
Naples,  and  so  may  it  remain  ! 

The  city  resembles  Baltimore  more  than  any 
other  in  the  Union :  as  a  collection  of  build- 
ings it  is  prettier,  but  I  prefer  the  environs  of 
the  latter  city,  to  the  more  distant  hills  that 
form  the  amphitheatre  of  Boston ;  which  is  too 
large  to  add  much  eifect  to  the  landscape. 

Boston  contains  70,000  Inhabitants,  and  the 
first  bridge  and  the  first  canal  in  the  United 
States  were  constructed  there.     It  appeared  to 

VOL.    II.  o 


226  SIX    MONTHS 

me  the  neatest  city  in  the  Union;  and  although 
there  is  no  edifice  particularly  striking",  yet 
there  are  many  that  are  handsome,  and  there 
is  an  air  of  civic  importance  pervading  every 
street  in  the  place,  so  that  the  eye  does  not  easily 
detect  the  absence  of  any  object  that  is  neces- 
sary to  complete  the  appearance  of  a  place  of 
such  pretensions  as  Boston.  The  Fauneuil  Hall, 
named  after  the  founder,  who  lived  a  hundred 
years  ago,  must  not  be  forgotten.  It  is  the 
cradle  of  American  liberty;  because,  within  its 
walls,  were  held  and  heard  the  consultations 
and  the  eloquence  of  those  who  more  than  fifty 
years  back  were  first  aroused  to  resentment  and  -^ 
resistance  by  the  obstinacy  of  the  government 
of  England.  It  contains  an  original  full-length 
portrait  of  Washington  in  his  regimentals,  by 
Stewart.  The  figure  is  excellent,  but  the  horse 
is  very  indifferently  executed.  The  other  orna- 
ments in  the  hall,  are  emblematical  of  the  pur- 
poses to  which  it  is  applied.     Public  meetings 


IN    AMERICA.  2*21 

and  dinners  are  held  there,  and  the  company 
usually  leave  behind  them  the  decorations  that 
have  been  mottoed  for  the  occasion.  The  name 
of  "  Skrzynecki  "  was  very  conspicuous,  among 
a  multitude  of  others. 

Societies  have  always  been  in  vogue  among 
the  young  Bostonians.  The  objects  of  some  of 
them  are  ridiculous  enough.  Many  years  ago 
a  sum  of  500/.  was  raised  by  subscription  for  the 
purpose  of  converting  the  Jews  in  England.  At 
a  much  later  period,  a  self-constituted  college  of 
young  fellows  sent  a  diploma  to  the  Emperor 
of  Russia;  another  gang,  who  called  themselves 
"the  Peace  Society,"  sent  a  deputation  to 
the  same  august  personage,  requesting  him  to 
become  a  member.  His  answer  was  very  gra- 
cious, and  was  accompanied  by  a  \aluable  dia- 
mond ring.  A  Massachusett's  farmer,  hearing 
of  this,  immediately  packed  up  and  dispatched 
to  him  an  enormous  turnip  ("  considerable  vege- 
table") as  a  specimen  of  American  agricultural 

()  2 


228  SIX    MONTHS 

produce.  He  received  no  diamond  ring  ;  which 
was  not  a  fair  return,  as  it  was  quite  reasonable 
to  suppose  that,  as  of  yore,  the  head  of  a  "  noble 
Swede"  would  not  be  an  unacceptable  present 
to  the  Autocrat.  A  pair  of  colours,  which  ought 
to  have  been  worked  by  the  fair  hands  of  the 
Boston  belles,  were  lately  forwarded  to  the  Poles 
through  the  hands  of  General  Lafayette ;  and 
before  I  quitted  the  United  States,  a  meeting 
favourable  to  the  Poles  was  held  at  New  Orleans, 
and  "  an  army  in  disguise,"  consisting  of  no  less 
than  twenty-nine  volunteers,  was  waiting  at  New 
York  in  order  to  sail  to  their  assistance.  The 
delay,  I  understood,  had  arisen  on  account  of  a 
dispute  as  to  the  place  of  embarkation,  because, 
in  case  of  their  triumphant  return,  the  city  that 
last  held  them  would  be  entitled  to  the  whole 
honour  of  the  expedition. 

I  was  present  at  a  meeting  in  the  Fauneuil 
Hall,  held  for  the  purpose  of  adopting  resolu- 
tions, and  electing  representatives  to  attend  the 


IN    AMERICA.  !2'i9 

grand  meeting  on  the  Tariff  question,  which  A\as 
held  on  the  '26t\i  of  October,  at  New  York. 

The  literary  institutions  at  Boston  are  very 

numerous,  and  the  number  of  booksellers'  shops 

is  quite  surprising.     Upwards  of  60,000  dollars 

are  annually  expended  in  public  education,  and 

perhaps  an  additional  150,000  may  be  the  amount 

laid  out  in  private  establishments.     There  are 

fourteen  infant  schools  in  the  city,    and   sixty 

primary  schools  affording  the  means  of  education 

to  about  4000  children.     The  next  in  order  are 

the  grammar-schools  and  the  Latin  school,  from 

which  the  boys  are  qualified  to  go  to  Cambridge 

(Harvard)  university.     Upon  entering  the  infant 

schools,    the   first  questions   I  chanced    to   hear 

were  very  national,  characteristic,  and  amusing. 

"  When  goods  are  brought  into  a  country,  what 

do  you  call  it  ? — Importing   goods  !    and  when 

goods  are  taken  out  of  a  country,  what  do  you 

call  it? — Exporting  goods  !"  with  a  most  joyous 

and  tumultuous  emphasis  upon  the  distinguishing 


230  SIX   MONTHS 

syllable  of  either  answer.  Cambridge,  or  Har- 
vard University  is  about  three  miles  from  Boston, 
and  situated  within  a  large  enclosure.  The 
centre  building,  amongst  several  others  detached, 
and  standing  apart,  is  of  stone,  and  contains 
the  lecture  and  dining  rooms,  and  a  library  of 
37,000  volumes,  the  best  in  America.  I  was 
shown  nothing  remarkable  in  it,  excepting  a 
valuable  manuscript  of  the  aphorisms  of  Hippo- 
crates. I  also  saw  the  apartment  containing  the 
philosophical  apparatus,  and  another  in  which 
there  was  a  very  good  collection  of  minerals. 
I  could  not  refrain  from  a  hearty  laugh  at  the 
contents  of  a  paper  which  was  wafered  on  the 
outer  door  of  the  library,  and  which  I  was 
malicious  enough  to  copy  whilst  the  librarian 
was  absent  in  search  of  the  keys.  "  Missing, 
the  first  and  second  volumes  of  the  catalogue  of 
books  in  the  library  of  Harvard  university  !  If 
the  person  who  borrowed  will  return  them  im- 
mediately to  their  place   on  the  table,  he  will 


IN    AMERICA.  231 

oblige  all  those  who  have  occasion  to  consult 
them,  and  no  questions  will  be  asked." — (Signed 
hy  the  Librarian). 

The  whole  annual  expenses  of  an  undergra- 
duate do  not  amount  to  more  than  '250  dollars; 
for  this  he  is  boarded,  and  instructed  by  the 
lectures  of  different  professors  on  every  subject, 
ft'om  divinity  to  "obstetrics"  and  medical  juris- 
prudence. Christianity  is  respected  and  pro- 
moted in  its  broadest  sense,  not  according  to  the 
tenets  of  any  particular  sect:  the  professor  of 
divinity  being  obliged  to  declare  his  belief  in 
the  Scriptures,  as  the  only  perfect  rule  of  faith 
and  manners,  and  to  promise  that  he  will  explain 
and  open  them  to  his  pupils  with  integrity  and 
faithfulness,  according  to  the  best  light  that 
God  shall  give  him,  &c. 

Massachusetts  is  the  only  state  of  the  Union 
in  which  a  legislative  jurisdiction  is  made  for 
the  support  of  religion.  In  every  other,  a  person 
is  at  liberty  to  belong  to  any  sect,  or  none  if  he 


23'2  SIX   MONTHS 

pleases;  but  in  this  state  the  constitution  com- 
pels every  citizen  to  be  a  member  of  some  reli- 
gious order,  or  pay  for  the  support  of  some 
teacher  of  religion,  although  in  making  the 
choice  it  allows  him  to  follow  the  bent  of  his 
own  inclinations. 

With  respect  to  the  salaries  of  clergymen  it 
may  be  mentioned,  that  in  the  large  cities  they 
vary  from  one  to  three  thousand  dollars,  and 
from  five  hundred  to  a  thousand  in  the  more 
populous  country  parishes,  exclusively  of  per- 
quisites. Every  clergyman  is  paid  by  his  own 
congregation ;  so  that  his  engagement  with  them 
is  a  kind  of  contract. 

At  Boston,  I  attended  the  Unitarian  chapel, 
in  order  to  hear  the  celebrated  Dr.  Channing, 
whose  preaching  was  so  popular  during  his  resi- 
dence in  London  a  few  years  ago.  His  language 
was  very  fine,  his  accent  purely  English,  and 
his  manner  more  subdued  than  that  of  Ame- 
rican preachers  in  general,  who  are  usually  too 


IN    AMERICA.  233 

oratorical  to  be  impressive.  I  was  fortunate  in 
hearing  an  exposition  of  his  doctrine.  He  con- 
sidered Christianity  as  only  a  kindred  light  to 
nature  and  reason ;  that  the  germs  or  seeds  of 
the  different  excellences  in  the  character  of 
Christ  were  to  be  found  in  the  bosom  of  every 
man,  but  that  he  alone  possessed  them  in  an 
eminent  degree;  and  that  the  doctrine  of  the 
atonement  had  its  foundation  in  the  fears  of 
guilty  mankind,  &c.  &c.  The  extraordinary 
eloquence  of  the  preacher  did  not  however 
make  me  a  convert  to  his  tenets ;  yet  it  riveted 
my  attention  for  more  than  an  hour,  and  I 
came  away  with  the  impression  that  he  was 
one  of  the  very  finest  preachers  I  had  ever 
heard;  although  I  was  not  shaken  in  the 
conviction,  that  where  there  is  no  settled  form 
of  prayer,  the  principal  part  of  the  service  must 
necessarily  be  the  sermon,  and  that  the  sermon, 
if  it  be  at  all  worth  hearing,  instead  of  con- 
taining religious   admonition,    is    usually  filled 


234  SIX    MONTHS 

with  a  discussion  on  controverted  points  of 
doctrine. 

The  medical  college  at  Boston  is  a  depart- 
ment of  Harvard  university.  There  has  been 
and  still  is,  as  in  England,  a  difficulty  in  obtain- 
ing subjects  for  dissection  in  the  United  States. 
It  is  remedied  by  different  laws  in  different 
states  :  the  more  usual  provision  being,  that  the 
bodies  of  persons  who  die  in  almshouses,  or  by 
the  hands  of  the  executioner,  or  who  are  un- 
known, shall  be  given  up  for  that  purpose. 

When  at  Boston,  I  was  favoured  with  the 
sight  of  an  admirable  picture  just  finished  by  Mr. 
Alston  ;  the  scene  being  taken  from  Mrs.  Rad- 
cliffe's  novel  of  the  Italian,  where  the  assassin, 
who  is  obliged  to  commit  murder  at  the  instiga- 
tion of  the  monk,  is  terrified  by  the  fancied 
apparition  of  a  bleeding  hand.  The  monk,  with 
a  stronger  intellect  and  more  determined  pur- 
pose, is  raising  the  lamp  that  he  may  be  enabled 
to  see  more  clearly  into  the  darkness  of  the  vault. 


IN    AMERICA.  »235 

A  better  flame  and  a  more  murky  atmosphere 
were  never  painted.  The  outline  of  the  figures 
is  extremely  good,  and  the  terror  in  the  coun- 
tenance of  the  murderer  is  finely  contrasted  with 
the  cool,  stern,  and  incredulous  gaze  of  the 
monk. 

Mr.  Alston,  who  is  the  first,  if  not  the  only 
historical  painter  in  America,  has  been  employed 
for  many  years  upon  a  very  large  picture,  which 
is  not  to  be  seen  by  any  one  till  finished.  The 
subject  is  Belshazzar's  Feast;  and  the  figures 
are  as  large  as  life.  He  intends  to  rest  his 
reputation  on  the  success  of  this  painting,  which 
will  not  see  the  light  till  he  himself  is  perfectly 
satisfied  with  it.  Many  parts  of  it  are  said  to 
have  been  repeatedly  altered.  On  one  occasion 
when  it  was  threatened  by  fire,  Mr.  Alston  re- 
quested a  particular  friend  to  assist  him  in  its 
removal,  but  made  him  walk  with  his  back  to- 
wards the  picture,  that  he  might  not  catch  a 
glimpse  of  it. 


236  SIX    MONTHS 

Lowell,     the     Manchester    of    America,     Is 
twenty-seven   miles  from   Boston,  and  may  be 
visited  in   the  way  from  Burlington  to  Boston. 
Twelve  years  ago  there  was  scarcely  a  house  in 
the  place ;  and  only  eight  years  ago  it  formed 
part  of  a  farming  town,  which  was  thought  sin- 
gularly unproductive,   even  in  the  midst  of  the 
sterile   and   rocky  region  with  which  it   is  sur- 
rounded.    At  present  it  contains   8000  people, 
who  are  all  more   or  less  connected  with    the 
manufactories;    and   thirty-three    large   wheels, 
which  are  the  movers  of  all  the  machinery   in 
the  place,  are  turned  by  means  of  canals  sup- 
plied by  the  prodigious  water-power  contained 
in   the   rapid  stream    of   the   Merrimack    river. 
There  is  no  steam-power  there,  and  consequently 
little   or  no   smoke  is  visible,  and  every  thing 
wears  the  appearance  of  comfort  and  cleanliness. 
At  present  there  are  50,000  cotton-spindles  in 
operation  at  Lowell,  besides  a  satinet  and  carpet 
manufactory.     A  good    English    carpet  weaver 


IN     AMERICA.  "2^7 

who  iinderstands  his  business,  may  earn  a  dolhir 
a-day;  but  the  calico  weaving  is  chiefly  per- 
formed by  females,  whose  general  neatness  of 
appearance  reflects  the  greatest  credit  upon 
themselves  and  their  employers.  No  less  than 
40,000  additional  spindles  had  been  contracted 
for,  and  workmen  Vv^ere  employed  upon  them 
in  the  large  building  called  the  machine-shop, 
which  of  itself  is  well  worth  the  attention  of 
the  traveller.  The  vast  buildings  belonging  to 
the  Merrimack  and  Hamilton  companies,  are  very 
conspicuous  from  the  road  by  which  the  town  is 
approached  from  Boston,  particularly  the  latter, 
which  are  ranged  along  the  side  of  the  canal. 
As  yet  there  is,  I  believe,  no  linen  manufactory 
in  the  United  States.  Lowell  contains  the  most 
extensive  cotton-works  ;  but  as  a  manufacturing 
towm  merely,  its  population  and  business  are 
perhaps  trebled  at  Pittsburg  on  the  Ohio.  Tlie 
scenerv  about  Lowell  is  not  deficient  in  interest 


238  ,  SIX    MONTHS 

and  beauty,  but  it  scarcely  merits  further  de- 
scription. 

The  prices  of  provisions  at  Boston  for  the 
last  two  or  three  years  have  been  as  follows: 
the  best  beef  has  sold  at  eight  or  ten  cents 
(nearly  five-pence  halfpenny)  the  pound;  mutton 
from  six  to  eight  cents :  venison  from  ten  to 
twenty-five  cents ;  salmon  from  ten  to  twelve 
cents,  and  other  fish  from  two  to  four  cents. 
Butter  from  fourteen  to  sixteen  cents;  cheese 
fourteen  and  a  half;  coffee  from  thirteen  to 
fourteen  cents.  Tea  of  course  varies  in  price 
according  to  its  quality ;  the  best  tea  in  all 
the  larger  cities  selling  from  about  one  dollar 
and  a  quarter  to  two  dollars  a  pound.  Before 
the  East  India  Company  entered  into  the  Ca- 
nada tea  trade,  the  colonies  were  supplied  from 
the  United  States.  But  now  the  course  of 
smuggling,  which  from  the  nature  of  the  country 
it  is  morally  impossible  to  prevent,  is  decidedly 


IN  AMERICA.  2:39 

in  favour  of  the  Canadas.      The  duties  on  tea 
in  the  United  States  have  been  reduced  nearly 
fifty  per  cent,  since  the  31st  of  December,  1831 ; 
but  still  the  duties   in    the    Canadas   are  very 
much  lower;    the  best  gunpowder  tea,  for  in- 
stance, paying  a  duty  of  twenty-five  cents,  whilst 
in  the   Canadas    it    pays    but  four  pence,   and 
hyson  tea  paying  a  duty  of  eighteen  cents  in  the 
United  States,  and  but  sixpence  in  the  Canadas, 
&c.     The  Americans  have  petitioned  for  a  fur- 
ther reduction  in  the  duties  ;   but  it  appears  that 
none  will  be   made  as  yet.      If  the   American 
government  would  allow   the   tariff  duties  and 
the  national  debt  to  expire  at  the  same  time, 
it  is  not  difficult  to  foresee,   that  as  it  is  the 
amount  of  duties  which  governs  the  trade,  the 
provinces   would   again    be    supplied   from    the 
United   States,   unless  the   British  government 
should  lower  their  duties  also ;   and  then  if  this 
were  to  be  done,  and  the  United  States  and  the 
Canadas  were  on  the  same  footing,  as  the  East 


240 


SIX    MONTHS 


India  Company  are  supposed  to  purchase  their 
teas  as  cheaply  as  they  can  be  purchased,   no 
fear  need  be   entertained  by  the   Canadas  that 
any  advantage  will  be  gained  over  the  British 
trade  with  regard  to  the  expenses  of  importation. 
And  in  addition  to  this,  the  rapid  means  of  com- 
munication with   the   Upper  Province,  afforded 
by  the   Rideau  canal,  will,  it  is  supposed,  bid 
defiance  to  hurtful  competition  on  the  part  of 
the    Americans,   when    either    the    time   or   the 
cost  of  conveyance  is  considered.     The  course 
of  the  tea  trade  between  the  United  States  and 
the  Canadas  has  been  so  much  in  favour  of  the 
British  colonies,  that  the   East  India  Company 
intend  this  year  to  send  out  four  ships  to  Quebec 
and  Halifax,  instead  of  two  as  heretofore.    Many 
of  the  old  contraband  traders  have  amassed  large 
fortunes :  the  consumer,  whether  royalist  or  re- 
publican,   having  been  by  no  means  averse  to 
render   assistance   where    it   was    obviously  for 
his  own  benefit  to  do  so. 


IN    AMERICA.  '241 

At  Boston,  Philadelphia,  and  Baltimore, 
house  rent  is  about  fifteen  per  cent,  cheaper 
than  at  New  York,  where  the  rent  of  a  good 
house,  situated,  for  instance,  on  a  par  with  those 
in  Gloucester-place  in  London,  would  amount 
to  one  thousand  or  one  thousand  tw^o  hundred 
dollars  a  year ;  but  counting-houses  and  other 
houses  taken  for  their  convenient  situations  with 
reference  to  commercial  purposes,  would  rent  in 
either  of  the  largest  cities  just  mentioned,  at  a 
higher  rate  than  in  London. 

The  assessment  or  tax  upon  houses  varies  in 
the  different  cities,  from  five  to  eight  dollars  in 
the  thousand. 

At  Boston,  the  wages  of  an  in-door  male 
servant  are  from  ten  to  eighteen  dollars  a  month ; 
of  females  from  one  and  a  quarter  to  two  dollars 
a  week. 

The  expense  of  keeping  a  horse  at  livery  hi 
either  of  the  larger   cities  is  about  ten  dollars 
a  month  ;  but  if  groomed  by  a  gentleman's  own 
VOL.  II.  R 


242  !^T^    MONTHS 

servant  it  may  be  done  for  half  that  sum  exclu- 
sively of  the  groom's  wages.  Hay  has  been 
very  abundant  in  Boston  market  for  the  last  two 
or  three  years,  and  has  sold  at  from  ten  to  fifteen 
dollars  the  ton.  Oats  at  forty-five  to  fifty  cents 
the  bushel,  wholesale  price. 

In  Boston  a  carriage  and  a  pair  of  hoi*ses, 
including  the  coachman's  wages,  &c.,  may  be 
kept  at  an  annual  expense  of  three  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  about  80/. 

I  shall  ever  feel  grateful  for  the  hospitable 
reception  I  met  with,  at  Boston.  The  society 
is  excellent — the  Bostonians  more  resembling 
the  English  than  the  inhabitants  of  any  other 
city  I  had  visited ;  and  the  bearing  and  appear- 
ance of  some  of  them  being  so  aristocratical  that 
they  have  much  ado  to  keep  one  another  in 
countenance.  The  governor  of  Massachusetts 
is  entitled  "his  excellency,"  and  the  lieutenant- 
governor  is  addressed  as  "your  honour."  The 
belles  of  Boston  dress  exceedingly  well,  better 


IN    AMERICA.  243 

perhaps  than  any  others  in  the  Union ;  Philadel- 
phia and  Baltimore  not  excepted.  At  New  York, 
as  I  have  before  remarked,  the  colours  of  their 
dresses  are  far  too  gaudy,  and  certainly  ill-judged 
as  to  the  manner  and  the  time  of  wearing  them. 
I  believe  that  there  is  in  England  a  very 
mistaken  idea  of  American  society;  as  I  have 
frequently  been  asked,  what  could  not  but 
appear  to  me  the  most  unfair  and  absurd 
questions  on  this  subject.  With  us  the  term 
"  yankee"  is  generally  one  of  ridicule,  if  not  of 
disdain ;  but  to  apply  it  in  that  sense  to  all  the 
members  of  society  in  the  United  States,  is  far 
too  indiscriminate  to  be  just.  There  is,  as  I 
have  before  remarked,  an  aristocracy  in  every 
city  in  the  Union ;  and,  perhaps,  as  many  as 
four  or  five  different  sets  or  circles,  notwith- 
standing their  boasted  equality  of  condition.  As 
far  as  I  have  been  able  to  judge  from  what  1 
have  seen  and  heard,  the  American  ladies  are 
certainly  not  (generally  speaking)  what  in  Eng- 

R-2 


244  SIX    MONTHS 

land  would  be  called  accomplished — in  music 
and  drawing,  for  instance  :  and  still  fewer  of 
them  are  entitled  to  the  appellation  of  "a blue;" 
but  if  exceedingly  pretty  features,  elegant  dress 
and  manners,  and  agreeable  and  sprightly  con- 
versation are  to  have  the  same  weight  with  us 
in  forming  an  opinion  of  the  state  of  society  in 
America,  that  we  should  allow  to  them  if  speak- 
ing of  society  in  England,  I  cannot  but  affirm 
that  the  refinement  of  first  circles  in  the  larger 
American  cities  is  very  far  advanced,  and  much 
farther  than  it  has  credit  for  in  England.  Gentle- 
men, who  are  such  from  feeling,  from  habit,  and 
from  education,  are  to  be  met  with  in  every  part 
of  the  States ;  men  who  are  quite  distinct  from 
the  tobacco-chewing,  guessing,  calkilating,  fixing, 
locating,  expecting,  and  expectorating  yankee, 
whose  very  twang,  even  in  the  merriest  moments, 
has  something  in  it  that  is  absolutely  provoking 
to  the  ear  of  an  Englishman,  and  in  whose  pre- 
sence  one  is  often   tempted  to   exclaim,    "  Be 


IN    AMERICA.  245 

their  constitution  what  it  may,  for  heaven's  sake 
let  us  have  something  gentleman-like  I" 

I  would  here  earnestly  recommend  every 
traveller  in  the  States,  never  to  leave  any  thing 
to  be  done  by  another  which  he  can  reasonably 
do  for  himself;  and  never  to  defer  any  arrange- 
ment which  had  better  be  made  over  night,  in 
the  expectation  that  all  will  go  smoothly  in  the 
morning,  unless  of  course  he  have  with  him 
a  confidential  European  servant.  With  ordi- 
nary care  there  is  not  much  fear  of  losing  any 
thing  by  theft ;  but  the  Yankees  are  often  as 
careless  of  the  property  of  others,  as  they  are 
careful  of  their  own.  Above  all  things,  let  him, 
as  *' Bob  Short"  has  it,  "be  sure  to  keep  his 
temper."  Anger  is  of  not  the  slightest  use,  and 
U  man  may  as  well  be  out  of  humour  with  his 
mantelpiece,  as  with  a  Yankee.  Independence 
is  visible  in  the  countenance  both  of  the  English- 
man and  the  American :  but  in  the  one,  it  is 
stamped  as  it  should  be  on  the  forehead;  with 


246  SIX    MONTHS 

the  other,  it  is  more  often  entwined  in  the  curi 
of  the  nether  lip.  Never  take  the  corner  inside 
a  coach  on  a  rainy  day,  you  '11  be  wet  to  the 
skin  :  carefully  avoid  comparison  between  any 
thing  that  is  American,  and  any  thing  that  is 
European,  particularly  if  it  should  be  English. 
1  have  several  times  received  a  friendly  caution 
from  Americans  themselves  on  this  head.  There 
are  liberal  minded  men  in  the  States  who  will 
talk  like  gentlemen  on  every  subject;  but  I 
believe  there  is  nothing  unjust  in  the  remark 
that  jealousy  of  England  and  English  arts,  and 
English  improvements,  and  English  manufac- 
tures, may  be  reasonably  classed  as  the  most 
prominent  of  their  national  failingSy- — and  that 
out  of  what  may  be  designated  as  steam-boat 
acquaintance,  there  are  not  fifty  men,  from 
Maine  to  Louisiana,  who  can  listen  to  such  a 
comparison  without  biting  their  lips. 

I  left  Boston,  as  I  did  Baltimore  with  regret, 
and    proceeded    to    Providence,    the    capital    of 


IN    AMERICA.  247 

Rhode  Island.  In  tlie  way,  I  passed  through 
Pawtucket,  a  very  considerable  manufacturing 
town  on  the  banks  of  the  Blackstone  river. 

Providence  contains  nearly  20,000  inhabi- 
tants, several  manufactures,  and  some  exceed- 
ingly good  private  houses.  In  the  neighbour- 
hood, by  the  assistance  of  a  friend,  I  procured 
some  excellent  woodcock  shooting.  Upon  my 
return,  I  chanced  to  be  standing  with  my  gun 
in  my  hand  near  the  bar  of  the  inn,  \\dien  a 
very  decent  looking  American  cooly  removed 
a  cigar  from  his  mouth,  and  most  civilly  ad- 
dressed me  with,  "  Well,  stranger  !  how  do  you 
prosper  in  gunning?" 

At  Providence  I  embarked  for  New  York  in 
the  splendid  steam-boat,  the  President,  passing 
by  Newport,  a  large  and  populous  place,  much 
resorted  to  on  account  of  the  sea  breeze,  which 
is  said  to  be  cool  and  refreshing  during  the 
greatest  heats  of  summer.  The  Providence  river 
is  one  of  the   finest   harbours  in  the   Northern 


248  SIX    MONTHS 

States,  and  the  best  station  for  ships  of  war ;  as 
a  junction  could  be  effected  with  a  fleet  from  the 
Chesapeake  in  less  than  forty  hours,  with  the 
same  wind  that  would  be  adverse  to  a  ship  sail- 
ing from  Boston  harbour,  and  would  perhaps 
prevent  a  junction  in  less  than  ten  days  :  the 
next  morning  I  found  myself  once  more  at  New 
York — standing  just  where  it  did  when  I  first 
left  it ;  and  after  the  lapse  of  a  day,  I  embarked 
in  a  steam-boat  to  proceed  up  the  North  or  Hud- 
son's river.  The  extreme  rapidity  with  which 
we  were  hurried  through  the  water  soon  carried 
me  into  the  midst  of  the  most  superb  river 
scenery  I  had  yet  beheld  in  America.  I  con- 
gratulate myself  upon  having  deferred  this  ex- 
cursion to  the  end  of  my  tour  instead  of  seeing 
it  at  first,  and  would  recommend  every  traveller 
to  do  the  same,  because  all  that  will  be  seen 
afterwards  of  the  same  description  will  probably 
lose  by  a  comparison.  The  western  bank  soon 
presents  a  perpendicular  of  trap-rock,  so  denomi- 


IN    AMERICA.  249 

nated  on  account  of  its  basaltic  formations  and 
general  appearance,  "  the  palisades,"  continuing 
for  nearly  twenty  miles  along  the  river,  and 
forming  a  natural  wall  or  precipice,  which  varies 
from  twenty  feet  to  500  feet  in  height,  nor  is 
the  elevation  sensibly  diminished  by  the  great 
width  of  the  stream.  On  the  east  or  opposite 
bank,  at  a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles  from 
New  York,  my  attention  was  excited  by  the 
beautiful  situation  of  a  small  village  embosomed 
in  woods  and  still  farther  concealed  by  a  pro- 
jecting headland.  Upon  inquiry  I  found  it  was 
Tarry  town,  where  Major  Andre  was  made  pri- 
soner, and  its  appearance  immediately  became 
doubly  interesting.  Whether  he  was  or  was 
not  a  spy,  cannot,  I  think,  be  determined  with- 
out an  answer  to  the  inquiry,  "  suppose  he  had 
succeeded  ?  " — but  whether  the  cause  of  freedom 
would  have  thriven  the  worse  for  the  generous 
dismissal  of  a  noble-minded  enemy,  or  whether 
the   memory   of   Washington    would    have    de- 


250  SIX    MONTHS 

scended  to  posterity  the  less  untarnished  in  con- 
sequence of  such  an  action,  are  questions  which 
are  still  less  problematical.  Major  Andre  was 
executed  at  Tappan,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  standing  on  the  boundary  line  between 
the  states  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey. 

The  penitentiary  at  Sing  Sing,  is  the  next 
object  of  attraction;  it  is  built  by  the  convicts 
themselves,  in  the  shape  of  a  rectangle,  40  feet 
by  480.  The  system  of  solitary  confinement 
adopted  there,  is  the  same  as  that  of  Auburn 
in  the  western  part  of  the  state  of  New  York. 
The  prisoners  are  confined  separately,  and  are 
brought  out  to  work  together  in  the  lime-stone 
quarries  immediately  adjoining  the  prison,  but 
are  never  allowed  to  utter  a  syllable  to  each 
other.  It  would  appear  that  under  all  circum- 
stances this  system  is  not  more  likely  to  prevent 
crime,  than  that  which  is  pursued  in  Phila- 
delphia; and  on  the  other  hand,  with  regard  to 
the   reformation   of  a  prisoner    in  after  life,    I 


IN    AMERICA.  251 

should  humbly  conceive  the  latter  mode  to  be 
preferable ;  because  as  one  prisoner  is  never  seen 
by  another,  it  is  very  clear  he  cannot  be  recog- 
nized, but  can  commence  a  new  life  without 
risking  a  sneer  from  a  former  companion  in  con- 
finement. 

I  had  lately  enjoyed  the  agreeable  society 
of  two  French  gentlemen,  who  were  travelling 
for  the  French  government,  with  instructions  to 
visit  the  different  prisons  in  the  United  States 
in  which  the  system  of  solitary  confinement  was 
adopted,  with  a  view  of  ascertaining  whether  it 
was  practicable  in  France.  They  informed  me, 
that  as  far  as  they  had  seen,  they  were  of  opinion 
that  the  system  could  be  adopted,  were  it  not  for 
the  expense  to  be  incurred  in  those  alterations 
which  would  be  necessary.  A  criminal  con- 
demned to  imprisonment  in  France  is  turned  in 
amongst  a  number  of  other  persons,  is  fed  during 
the  period  of  his  detention,  and  comes  out  of  the 
prison  just  as  he  entered  it. 


252  SIX    MONTHS 

We  soon  came  in  sight  of  Westpoint,  at 
the  commencement  of  "  the  Highlands,"  and 
the  most  beautiful  part  of  the  river.  This  spot 
was  selected  in  the  year  1802,  as  the  site  of  the 
military  college  of  the  United  States.  The 
buildings  connected  with  the  establishment  are 
situated  on  a  small  plain,  elevated  about  160 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  river.  The  vener- 
able ruins  of  Fort  Portnam,  are  conspicuously 
perched  upon  an  eminence  440  feet  higher ;  but 
the  ascent  is  still  continued  behind  them.  The 
whole  of  the  ground  belongs  to  government, 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  college  being 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  courts  of  the  United 
States. 

The  dress  and  appearance  of  the  cadets  is 
extremely  neat ;  consisting  of  a  slightly  braided 
jacket,  and  trowsers  of  grey  cloth  :  their  number 
is  about  two  hundred  and  sixty.  The  academic 
staif  is  composed  of  thirty-three  officers,  and 
gentlemen  who  act  as  professors   and  assistant 


IN    AMERICA.  '253 

professors.  The  cadets  are  instructed  in  almost 
every  branch  of  science,  but  in  no  language, 
excepting  French.  They  are  publicly  examined 
every  year,  in  the  presence  of  fifteen  visiters, 
who  are  invited  to  attend,  and  have  an  allowance 
made  them  for  their  travelling  expenses.  Amongst 
other  places,  I  visited  the  drawing  academy,  and 
another  apartment,  in  which  were  several  cadets 
studying  fortification.  When  there,  I  could  not 
avoid  remarking  that  on  one  of  the  tables,  by 
the  side  of  the  drawdng  utensils,  lay  a  half  de- 
molished roll  of  tobacco.  The  disgusting  habit 
of  chewing  tobacco  is  common  in  every  part  of 
America ;  even  the  men  in  the  upper  classes  are 
not  entirely  free  from  it :  but  it  surely  might  be 
discontinued  (by  express  prohibition,  if  neces- 
sary) by  the  officers  and  cadets  of  the  most 
gentlemanly  establishment  in  the  Union,  and 
against  which,  laughable  as  it  may  appear,  ob- 
jections   have    been    raised    on    account  of  the 


254  SIX    MONTHS 

aristocratical  ideas  which  the  young  men  bring- 
wdth  them  into  society. 

The  annual  expenses  of  each  cadet,  do  not 
exceed  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  He 
is  examined  at  the  expiration  of  four  years :  if 
he  does  not  pass,  he  is  allowed  another  year  of 
grace.  There  are  usually  on  the  average  about 
a  hundred  candidates  for  admission  on  the  list, 
and  about  thirty  are  annually  accepted :  a  pre- 
ference being  given  to  the  sons  of  revolutionary 
officers,  or  of  those  who  served  in  the  last  war. 
Out  of  the  whole  number  admitted,  I  was  in- 
formed that  more  than  half  of  them  leave  the 
college  from  incapacity,  disorderly  behaviour,  or 
other  reasons,  before  their  time  has  expired ;  and 
that  about  one-fourth  of  them  usually  take  their 
leave  within  a  year  after  the  commencement  of 
their  studies.  Every  cadet  must  have  attained 
the  age  of  fourteen  before  admittance,  and  is 
originally  intended  for  the   army;    but  in   the 


IN    AMERICA.  'ioS 

event  of  his  not  getting  a  commission,  the  edu- 
cation he  has  received,  amidst  the  present  and 
universal    confusion    of   rail-roads    and    water- 
powers,  will  ensure  him  three  dollars  a  day  for 
his  services  as  a  civil  engineer.       The    cadets 
form  on  parade  every  day  at  one   hour  before 
sunset,  and  have  a  very  soldier-like  appearance, 
occasionally  practising  the  guns  at  a  target  on 
the    opposite    side    of    the    river.       The    band, 
towards   the  maintenance  of  which  each   cadet 
contributes  twenty-five  cents  a  month,  is  said  to 
be  the  best  in  the  States.     If  a  young  man  does 
not  distinguish  himself,  he  will  probably  remain 
in  the  ranks  of  the  cadet  corps  during  the  four 
years  of  his  probation ;  but  if  he  display  more 
than  ordinary  abilities,  he  may  become  a  corporal 
after  the  first,  and  a  sergeant  after  the  second 
year ;  and  may  subsequently  get  his  commission 
as  second  lieutenant  in  the  army. 

Kosciusko    served   in    the    American    ranks 
during  the  war  of  Independence.     His  cenotaph 


256  SIX    MONTHS 

is  a  very  conspicuous  object  at  Westpoint ;  and 
at  a  picturesque  spot  which  he  is  said  to  have 
frequented,  and  is  known  by  the  name  of  Kos- 
ciusko's Garden :  a  small  fountain,  regarded  at 
this  time  with  peculiar  reverence,  bubbles  up 
through  a  plain  marble  slab,  and  trickles  over 
the  letters  of  his  name,  as  if  it  wept  its  all  to  his 
memory. 

Cannon  are  cast  at  the  foundry  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  nearly  opposite  to  Westpoint. 
On  that  side  also,  a  mile  or  two  below,  is  the 
house  which  was  occupied  by  Arnold  when  he 
was  carrying  on  his  traitorous  correspondence 
with  the  British  officers.  The  spot  where  he 
held  his  conference  with  Major  Andre,  is  over- 
shadowed by  a  small  grove  of  trees,  easily  dis- 
tinguished by  their  superior  height.  I  under- 
stood, at  Westpoint,  that  General  La  Fayette 
during  his  visit  in  1824,  had  said  he  was  dining 
w^th  Arnold,  when  he  received  from  Major 
Andre    the    letter   which    informed    him  of  his 


IN    AMERICA.  257 

capture,  and  that  Arnold  immediately  made 
some  excuse  for  leaving  the  table,  and  escaped, 
as  is  well  known,  by  running  down  a  very  steep 
bank,  and  ordering  some  boatmen  to  row  him  to 
the  British  sloop  of  war  which  brought  Major 
Andre,  and  was  then  lying  in  the  river  awaiting 
his  return. 

The  American  musquet  carries  but  eighteen 
balls  to  the  pound.  The  charge  of  powder  is 
also  proportionably  less.  A  general  officer  who 
served  in  the  last  war,  informed  me  that  having 
observed  the  shoulders  of  the  British  prisoners, 
he  frequently  found  them  black  for  a  month 
after  their  capture ;  and  not  being  satisfied  with 
the  smallness  of  the  charge  of  powder  which  had 
been  already  diminished  by  an  order  from  the 
American  head-quarters,  he  himself,  then  a 
colonel,  went  round  to  every  man  in  his  regi- 
ment, previously  to  an  engagement,  to  see  that  it 
was  still  further  reduced  according-  to  his  own 

VOL.   II.  S 


258  SIX    MONTHS 

order.     The   men  were   thus   convinced  of  tlie 
necessity  of  reserving  their  fire,  and  of  taking 
a  steady  aim,  so  that,  perhaps,  one  shot  in  ten 
took  effect,  instead  of  one  in  sixty ;  the  number 
usually  allowed  in  European  warfare.     He  also 
informed  me,  that  during  the  obscurity  of  the 
night,  and  the  confusion  which  took  place  at  the 
battle  of  Lundy's-lane,  he  observed  a  regiment 
forming  on  his  flank,  and  being  unable  to  discern 
immediately  whether  they  were  British  or  Ame- 
ricans, he  jumped  upon  the  top  of  a  fence  for  a 
better  view,   and  immediately  became  a  mark 
for  a  volley  of  British  musquetry,  of  which  every 
shot  passed  over  his  head.     This  no  doubt  was 
partly  caused   by  the  old  method  of  "  making 
ready;"   in  consequence  of  which  the  musquet 
was  frequently  discharged  before  it  was  brought 
to  the  shoulder,  from  the  perpendicular  position 
in  which  it  was  held.      The  British  troops  suf- 
fered more  severely  than  they  otherwise  would 
have   done   on   account   of  the   colour    of   their 


IN    AMERICA.  259 

uniforms,  the  least  portion  of  which  so  easily 
exposed  them  to  the  rifle  of  the  back-woods  ■ 
man. 

Soon  after  quitting  Westpoint  we  passed 
the  to\\Ti  of  Newburg,  leaving  the  Catshill 
mountains  on  our  left.  I  did  not  visit  the  hotel 
at  the  top  of  them,  as  the  season  was  too  far 
advanced,  and  everybody  had  left  it.  The  view 
from  it  is  said  to  be,  and  must  be,  magnificent. 
We  then  arrived  at  Albany,  wliich  has  been  for 
thirty  years  the  capital  of  the  state  of  New 
York;  it  is  a  handsome  and  thriving  city,  con- 
taining about  20,000  inhabitants. 

Every  traveller  should  contrive  to  be  at 
Albany  on  Sunday  morning,  in  order  that  he 
may  proceed  to  Shaker's  town,  about  eight  miles 
distant,  and  attend  the  public  worship  of  the 
sect.  At  Lebanon,  in  the  same  state,  there  is  a 
larger  establishment,  but  it  is  more  out  of  the 
way.     Their  mode   of  worship  is  certainly  the 

s2 


260  SIX    MONTHS 

most  extraordinary  that  is  adopted  in  any  Chris- 
tian   community.      About    fifty   men    and   fifty 
women  were  arranged  en  masse  with  their  faces 
towards    each   other,    and  with   an    intervening 
space  of  about  ten  feet.    The  service  commenced 
by  an  elder  coming  forward  between  them,  and 
delivering  a  few  words  of  exhortation.     Several 
others  followed  his  example  at  intervals  during 
the  service;  one,  more  eloquent  than  the  rest, 
who  was  descanting  on  the  proper  government 
of  the  passions  and  the  abuse  of  talent,  thought 
fit  to  illustrate  his  argument  by  a  quotation  from 
Gay's  fable  of  "  The  Grecian  youth  of  talents 
rare."     Hymns  were  then  sung  by  them  in  their 
places,  each  of  them   shaking  the  whole   time. 
They  then  performed  a  regular  dance,  holding 
hands,  advancing  and  retiring,   to  a  most  up- 
roarious tune,  sung  by  a  few  of  them  formed  in 
a  small  circle,  who  gave  the  words  and  the  tune 
to  the  others  as  they  afterwards  paraded  in  pairs 
around  the  room,   singing  very  loudly  the  whole 


IN    AMERICA.  261 

time — hopping  heavily,  first  on  one  foot,  then  on 
the  other — flapping  their  hands  the  whole  time 
before  them,  with  their  elbows  stuck  into  their 
sides,  and  looking  for  all  the  world  like  so  many 
penguins  in  procession.  It  was  not  till  the  end 
of  the  service  that  they  all  fairly  fell  on  their 
knees,  and  sung  a  hymn,  as  if  they  were  asking 
pardon  for  their  vagaries. 

I  really  think  I  had  never  seen  such  a  curious 
collection  of  heads  and  features:  the  chin  and 
lower  part  of  the  face  were  generally  very  small, 
giving  to  some  an  appearance  that  was  perfectly 
idiotic,  whilst  others  displayed  a  more  subdued 
modification  of  that  wildness  of  gaze  which 
might  have  distinguished  the  fanatic  companions 
of  Balfour  o'  Burley:  but  there  was  scarcely 
one  among  them,  either  male  or  female,  whose 
features  were  not  remarkable  on  one  account 
or  other. 

From  Albany  I  proceeded  to  Schenectady, 
in  the  rail-road  carriage,  which  whirled  me  for- 


262  SIX    MONTHS 

ward  with  a  rapidity  very  little  inferior  to  that 
with  which  I  had  been  carried  between  Liver- 
pool and  Manchester,  but  by  no  means  so  silently 
or  so  smoothly,  as  the  rattling  ^as  very  loud. 
Thence  I  went  to  Utica,  a  town  that  at  present 
contains  10,000  inhabitants,  but  intends  at  some 
future  period  to  be  the  capital  of  the  state  of 
New  York.  Its  pretensions  are  founded  on  its 
present  prosperity,  arising  from  the  Erie  canal, 
which  passes  through  it  in  its  way  from  Albany 
to  lake  Erie,  its  central  situation,  and  the  gra- 
dual westward  movement  of  the  surplus  popula- 
tion of  the  more  eastern  cities. 

From  Utica  I  visited  the  Trenton  falls, 
fifteen  miles  distant.  I  was  very  much  disap- 
pointed :  there  was  not  much  water  in  them,  and 
they  appeared  more  like  artificial  cascades  than 
a  natural  cataract.  The  trout  fishing  in  the 
West  Canada  creek,  on  which  they  are  situated, 
is,  I  conceive,  the  best  recommendation  for  a 
visit  to  the  Trenton  falls.     Possibly  Niagara  had 


IN    AMERICA.  263 

spoiled  me  for  every  waterfall.     It  is,  I   think, 
the  author  of  the  "  Diary  of  an  Invalid,"  who 
remarks  that  having  seen  St.  Peter's,  he  should  be 
contented  with  his  parish  church  ever  afterwards. 
I  thence  proceeded  to   Saratoga,    the  Chelten- 
ham of  America :  but  the  company  which  throng 
to  it  from  all  parts  of  the  Union,  being  its  only 
attraction,  and  the  season  being  over,  I  passed 
through  it  without  stopping  there  more  than  an 
hour.     The  vicinity  of  Ballston  Springs,  which 
are  near  it,  are  much  prettier.     The  waters  of 
both  are  saline  and  chalybeate  at  the  same  time. 
The  guide  books  are  so  filled  with  accounts  of 
the  marches,   counter  marches,    successes,    dis- 
tresses, and  final  surrender  of  General  Burgoyne, 
that  I  make  no  apology  for  merely  remarking, 
that  he  surrendered  to  the  American  General 
Gates  at  Schuylersville  in  the  county  of  Saratoga 
on  the  17th  of  October,  1777.      From  Saratoga, 
I  proceeded  to  Lake  George,  passing  by  Glen's 
falls,    so   admirably  described  in   Mr.    Cooper's 


264  SIX    MONTHS 

novel  of  the  Last  of  the  Mohicans.  Unfor- 
tunately for  me  the  steam-boat  on  the  lake  was 
laid  up  in  ordinary,  and  I  was  obliged  to  content 
myself  with  a  ride  for  a  few  miles  along  the 
banks.  As  far  as  I  could  judge,  I  thought  the 
scenery  equal  to  that  of  the  finest  of  British 
lakes,  generally,  with  the  exception  of  Loch- 
Lomond.  It  is  thirty-six  miles  long;  but  it  has  no 
where  the  majestic  breadth  of  the  famed  Scottish 
lake.  Its  mountains  are  not  so  lofty  as  Ben 
Lomond,  and  it  has  not  the  weeping  birch  of 
the  highlands  of  Scotland,  or  the  arbutus  of 
the  lakes  of  Killarney;  but  it  can  boast  of  an 
unrivalled  clearness  of  water,  a  most  delicious 
perfume  from  the  gum  cistus  (vulgo,  sweet  fern) 
which  grows  abundantly  on  its  margin ;  and  the 
autumnal  foliage  reflected  on  its  surface  is  cer- 
tainly far  more  beautiful  and  brilliant  than  any 
thing  of  the  kind  that  Great  Britain  can  display. 
Cultivation  was  to  be  seen  in  many  parts ;  but 
there  were  no  splendid   country  seats,   and  the 


IN    AMERICA.  265 

majestic  beauty  of  this  lovely  lake  must  be  con- 
tented to  remain  destitute  of  those  unrivalled 
ornaments,  so  long  as  democracy  holds  sway  over 
the  mountains  that  surround  it. 

At  the  head  of  the  lake  stands  the  village 
of  Caldwell,  and  near  it  are  the  ruins  of  Fort 
George  and  Fort  William.  It  would  far  exceed 
the  limits  of  this  work,  were  I  to  take  notice  of 
the  numerous  battles  that  have  been  fought  dur- 
ing the  last  eighty  years  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake 
George;  for  an  account  of  the  massacre  that 
took  place  after  the  surrender  of  Fort  William- 
Henry,  by  Major  Monroe,  to  the  French  troops 
under  the  command  of  the  Marquis  of  Montcalm 
in  1757,  I  will  again  with  pleasure  refer  you  to 
the  "  Last  of  the  Mohicans." 

I  should  mention  that  there  is  excellent  bass 
fishing  in  the  lake,  and  that  all  necessary  infor- 
mation &c.  may  be  obtained  at  the  lake  tavern 
at  Caldwell.  The  bass  is  taken  with  a  spinning 
mhinow,   and  when  hooked  affords  for  a  short 


266  SIX    MONTHS 

time,   even  more  sport  than  a  salmon ;    but  is 
much  sooner  exhausted. 

Sandy  Hill  was  my  next  destination.  In 
my  way,  I  passed  over  the  ground  where  Gene- 
ral Burgoyne  surrendered,  and  in  a  few  hours 
again  entered  a  steam-boat,  at  Albany,  with,  the 
intention  of  returning,  for  the  last  time,  to  New 
York. 

Before  I  went  to  America,  I  had  no  idea  in 
how  short  a  time  a  meal  could  be  dispatched ; 
but  to  see  "  bolting  "  in  perfection,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  go  on  board  an  Albany  steam-boat.  The 
cabin  is  cleared  as  much  as  possible,  the  break- 
fast is  laid,  and  the  free  negro  stewards  ai'e 
placed  as  guards  at  the  top  of  the  stair-case,  to 
prevent  any  gentleman  from  walking  in  before 
the  bell  rings.  As  the  hour  draws  near,  con- 
versation is  gradually  suspended,  and  the  com- 
pany look  as  if  they  were  all  thinking  of  the 
same  subject.  Groups  of  lank  thin-jawed  per- 
sonages may  be   seen   "  progressing "    towards 


IN    AMERICA.  267 

the  door,  and  "  locating  "  themselves  around  it, 
in  expectation  of  the  approaching  rush,  listening 
to  the  repeated  assiu-ances  of  the  black  stewards 
within,  that  no  gentleman  can  by  any  possibility 
be  admitted  before  the  time.  At  length  the  bell 
rings,  and  the  negro  guards  escape  as  they  can ; 
if  they  are  not  brisk  in  their  motions,  they  stand 
a  chance  of  being  sent  headlong  down  stairs,  or 
jammed  in  between  the  wall  and  the  opened 
doors.  In  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  minute, 
150  or  200  persons  have  seated  themselves  at 
table,  and  an  excellent  breakfast  of  tea,  coffee, 
eggs,  beefsteaks,  hot  rolls,  corn  cakes,  salted 
mackerel,  mush,  molasses,  &c.  is  demolished 
in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time.  The 
crowd  then  slowly  re-ascends  the  staircase — and 
three-fourths  of  them  are  quite  surprised  that 
they  shoidd  be  afflicted  with  dyspepsia!  The 
music  which  usually  accompanied  the  feasts  of 
the  ancients,  will  never  be  revived  by  the  Ame- 


268  SIX    MONTHS 

ricaris  who  are   more  likely  to   exclaim  in   the 
beautiful  language  of  Euripides, 

2/cafOV5.'  ^6  Xef^fvp^  Kovoev  ri  ao<povSf 
Toys  TrpoaOe  ^poiovs,  ovk  dv  afiapioi^, 
0'i7iv€<i  v/Lij'ov9  eTTi  fiev  6a\cai9, 
YiTTi  T*  etXaircvai'S,  koi  Trapa  benrvot's 
YiVpovTO,  l^iov  repTTva^  aKod^' 

ifa  c  evceiTTPOi 
AatTGS,  71  /xuTfjv  Teivovai  jBoau 
To  Trapov  f^jap  e'^et  repylriv  a0'  avTOu 
Aai709  TrKrjpwfxa  /Bporocaip. 


Whilst  I  remained  at  New  York,  I  employed 
my  time  in  visiting  the  dock-yard,  the  race- 
ground  on  Long  Island,  and  other  places  which 
I  had  left  unseen.  The  race-ground  is  inclosed 
with  a  high  paling,  and  although  well  kept,  is 
not  on  so  large  a  scale  as  might  be  expected. 

The  Americans   believed  that    their   horse, 


IN    AMERICA.  269 

Eclipse,  was  faster  tlian  his  celebrated  English 
ancestor,  till  a  paper  appeared  in  their  Sporting 
Magazine,  proving  that  had  they  run  together, 
their  horse,  which  is  undoubtedly  a  very  good  one, 
particularly  up  hill,  would  have  been  thoroughly 
beaten.  They  have  a  mare,  named,  I  believe, 
Arietta,  which  is  said  to  be  exceedingly  fast  for 
a  mile,  and  is  coming  to  England,  to  try  her 
speed  at  Newmarket. 

The  Americans  boast  that  they  are  able  to 
raise  an  army  of  cavalry  at  a  moment* s  notice ; 
and  they  refer  you  to  the  backwoods,  and  tell 
you  that  a  boy  can  ride  ahnost  as  soon  as  he 
can  walk.  This  is  true  enough  of  their  riding 
to  plough,  or  to  church,  or  along  the  road ;  but 
I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  a  horse  take  a 
leap  in  the  United  States  but  once,  —  and  he 
had  no  rider  on  his  back.  It  is  very  rarely  that 
an  American  is  seen  with  a  good  seat  on  horse- 
back.    I  should  say,  generally,  that  the  A  me- 


270  SIX    MONTHS 

ricans  were  bad  riders,  excepting  the  New 
Yorkers, — and  they  are  Americans.  I  think 
they  are  the  worst  I  ever  saw.  They  have 
neither  a  military  seat  nor  a  fox-hunting  seat, 
nor  a  Turkish  seat,  nor  even  what  Geoffrey 
Gambado  would  term  "the  mistaken  notion;"  but 
they  ride  up  and  down  the  Broadway  with  the 
toe  almost  invariably  very  much  below  the  heel ; 
and  the  back  and  shoulders,  like  the  "  genteel 
and  agreeable"  of  the  same  author,  of  course 
inclined  forward :  at  the  same  time  it  must  be 
confessed,  that  as  they  have  neither  cavalry  nor 
fox-hunting,  it  is  not  surprising  that  they  cannot 
ride. 

I  witnessed  an  extraordinary  exhibition,  pur- 
porting to  be  a  burlesque  upon  the  militia 
system,  and  got  up  with  no  inconsiderable  share 
of  humour.  A  person  on  horseback,  masked,  in 
the  uniform  of  Napoleon,  wearing  a  small  figure 
of  him  on  either  shoulder,  and  carrying  an  enor- 


IN    AMERICA.  271 

mous  tin  sword,  headed  a  band  of  ragamuffins, 
liabited  as  their  wit  and  ingenuity  dictated  to 
them.  Pasteboard,  pumpkins,  spits,  and  hay- 
bands,  with  a  hundred  other  things  of  the  same 
kind,  being  put  in  requisition  to  aid  the  spirit  of 
buifoonery,  and  assist  in  ridiculing  the  militia. 
The  only  motto  among  the  many  that  was  good 
and  pointed,  was  "  soldiers  in  peace,  citizens  in 
war."  But  the  whole  scene,  although  acted  on 
a  less  serious  occasion,  was  worthy  the  days  of 
Anacharsis  Klootz. 

L  cannot  forbear  to  relate  an  instance  of  that 
mock  modesty  of  which  the  Americans  are  some- 
times accused.  I  was  at  a  ball,  and  was  guilty 
of  joining  in  a  quadrille.  When  the  time  for 
the  "  dos  a  dos"  arrived,  I  advanced  to  perform 
that  part  of  the  figure  in  the  same  manner  as  I 
should  have  done  at  a  ball  in  England;  but  I 
found  that  the  lady,  who  was  dancing  opposite 
to  me,  receded  instead  of  coming  forward,  and 


272  SIX    MONTHS 

my  movement  had  attracted  considerable  atten- 
tion. I  felt  that  I  had  committed  some  error, 
and  my  partner,  who  had  travelled  a  great  deal 
in  Europe  and  had  often  danced  quadrilles  in 
France  and  England,  kindly  hinted  to  me,  with 
a  slight  archness  of  smile,  that  I  had  made  a 
mistake.  —  "We  do  not  dance  the  dos  a  dos 
here  ;  we  have  left  off  that  part  of  the  figure  !" 

Two  circumstances  contributed  to  render  my 
voyage  home  agreeable:  one  was,  that  I  sailed 
in  the  splendid  new  ship  the  "  North  America ;" 
the  other,  that  she  was  commanded  by  Captain 
Macy.  As  the  steam-boat  slowly  towed  us  from 
the  wharf,  I  felt  gratified  and  grateful  for  the 
kindness  I  had  met  with  in  America ;  and  I  un- 
hesitatingly affirm,  that  if  an  Englishman  be 
treated  otherwise  it  must  be  his  own  fault.  I 
looked  at  the  retiring  city :  I  thought  the  houses 
were  not  so  very  red,  after  all;  and  I  tried  to 
persuade  myself  that  the  bay  of  New  York  was 


IN    AMERICA.  273 

as  beautiful  as  the  bay  of  Naples :  but  I  found 
that  I  could  not  show  my  gratitude  at  the  ex- 
pense of  what  appeared  to  me  to  be  the  truth; 
namely,  that  it  is  and  must  ever  remain  very  far 
inferior.  Partiality  is  apt  to  elicit  some  very 
contrary  opinions.  The  New  Yorkers  think 
their  bay  equal  in  beauty  to  the  bay  of  Naples : 
when  the  Dutch  had  possession  of  the  country, 
they  called  it  the  New  Netherlands.  But  these 
are  trifles,  and  as  such  I  hope  they  are  par- 
donable. 

I  advise  you  to  go  to  America:  at  this  period 
there  is  no  country  equally  interesting,  nor  one 
so  likely  to  remain  so,  till  it  falls  to  pieces,  pro- 
bably within  less  than  half  a  century,  by  its  own 
weight.  If  you  are  an  ultra-tory  you  will,  per- 
haps, receive  a  lesson  that  may  reduce  you  to 
reason  ;  if  you  are  a  radical,  and  in  your  senses, 
as  an  Englishman  and  a  gentleman,  you  are 
certain  of  changing  your  opinions  before  you 

VOL.  II.  T 


274  SIX    MONTHS 

return;  and  you  may  prepare  yourself  accord- 
ingly. You  will  be  gratified  by  visiting  a  land, 
that  come  what  will,  must  ever  remain  a  land  of 
liberty,  which  the  Saxon  blood  alone  is  capable 
of  enjoying.  So  little,  it  may  be  remarked,  do 
the  French  understand  the  term,  that  it  is  only 
since  the  last  revolution  that  they  have  acquired 
the  "  droit  de  1'  initiatif,"  or  the  right  by  which 
any  member  of  the  chamber  of  deputies  can 
by  himself  bring  in  a  bill  or  "  projet  de  loi," 
whenever  he  pleases ;  a  right  which  the  mem- 
bers of  the  house  of  commons  in  England  may 
be  said  to  have  enjoyed  for  two  centuries. 
Previously  to  the  late  changes  in  France,  it  was 
necessary  that  a  number  of  members  who  wished 
to  introduce  any  measure  into  the  chamber, 
should  petition  the  king  for  leave  to  do  so; 
otherwise,  as  is  well  known,  it  was  brought  for- 
ward by  the  minister  alone.  You  will  be  grati- 
fied by  seeing  so  much  of  what  may  be  termed 


IN    AMERICA.  »275 

the  aristocracy  of  nature  in  the  privmaeval 
forests,  the  vast  lakes  and  majestic  rivers  of  North 
America ;  and  still  more  so  by  having  visited  a 
land  where  man  is  supposed  to  be  more  his  own 
master  than  in  any  other  civilised  part  of  the 
world,  and  where  his  energy  meets  with  co- 
operation in  the  natural  resources  of  the  country, 
and  commands  success  at  the  hands  of  his  fellow 
men.  You  will  then  be  able  to  form  an  opinion 
whether  the  state  of  society  be  more  or  less 
enviable  than  that  to  which  you  have  been 
accustomed;  whether  the  fine  arts  are  more 
likely  to  flourish ;  whether  men  in  their  public 
or  private  characters  as  husbands,  as  fathers,  as 
brothers,  as  gentlemen,  are  better,  more  honest, 
or  more  amiable  than  among  yourselves ;  or 
whether  the  government  under  which  they  live 
is  more  calculated  for  the  encouragement  of  true 
religion,  the  shelter  of  virtue,  the  enjoyment  of 
life  and  liberty;  or,  if  fair  allowance  be  made 

1-2 


276 


SIX    MONTHS    IN    AMERICA. 


for  the  advantages  incidental  to  a  new  country, 
whether  it  is  better  adapted  for  the  advancement 
of  national  prosperity,  than  the  institutions  of 
your  native  land. — Go  to  America,  canvass  the 
pretensions  of  the  Americans,  and  then  judge 
for  yoyrself. 


THE  END. 


Manning  and  Co.,  Printers, 
4,    London  House  Yard,  St,  Paul's. 


^ 


